A recent study published in the British Medical Journal, cautioning that people above 80 years of age are currently receiving “too aggressive” treatment for high blood pressure, suggests that clinicians need to change their present methods of treatment of the old people suffering from high blood pressure and drift back towards a more conservative approach.

Contrary to the latest evidence that recommends a less aggressive drug therapy for reducing mortality rate in the ‘senior’ age group, Cochrane researchers have found that people over 80 years are being prescribed extremely large doses of too many anti-hypertensive drugs, which eventually turn out doing more harm than good.

The Cochrane researchers studied data from two new trials, which especially noted the effect of antihypertensive drugs in the over-80 people.

The researchers found that the only trial showed a notable reduction in mortality was the most conservative one, in terms of number of drugs and doses allowed; and it aimed to reach a target blood pressure of 150/80 mmHg.

Despite the fact that both UK and US guidelines recommend the same treatment for people over 80 as those of any other age – implying the prescription of a drug-combination that can reach a target blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg, an expert, John Wright has pointed out that the results of the recently updated Cochrane review clearly suggest that the present approach is “excessively aggressive.”