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Relationship between blood pressure and frailty in older hypertensive outpatients

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Abstract

Background

The benefits and risks of treating hypertension in old and frail patients are debated.

Aim

The aim of the present study is to measure the frailty status in older patients with hypertension and determine the relationships existing between blood pressure (BP) values and frailty.

Methods

Frailty was retrospectively assessed by using the frailty index (FI) in 56 hypertensive old outpatients. Patients with an FI > 0.25 were classified as frail.

Results

Forty-five out of 56 (80%) had a FI > 0.25. A statistically significant inverse correlation was found between FI and systolic BP (r = −0.319, p = 0.016), orthostatic systolic BP (r = −0.408, p = 0.002), orthostatic diastolic BP (r = −0.299, p = 0.025), and orthostatic pulse pressure (r = −0.297, p = 0.026).

Discussion

Frailer subjects appear as over-treated according to current European guidelines.

Conclusions

FI can play an important role in the clinical setting by supporting the identification of subjects at risk and allowing an improved provision of adapted and personalized care.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria n., Policlinico pad B, 98125, Messina, Italy

    Giorgio Basile, Antonino Catalano, Giuliana Ciancio & Antonino Lasco

  2. Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Giuseppe Mandraffino

  3. Unit for Metabolic Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, King’s College London, London, UK

    Giuseppe Maltese

  4. Department of Economics, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Angela Alibrandi

  5. Gérontopôle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France

    Giorgio Basile & Matteo Cesari

  6. Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

    Matteo Cesari

  7. Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca’ Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy

    Matteo Cesari

Authors
  1. Giorgio Basile
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  2. Antonino Catalano
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  3. Giuseppe Mandraffino
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  4. Giuseppe Maltese
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  5. Angela Alibrandi
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  6. Giuliana Ciancio
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  7. Antonino Lasco
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  8. Matteo Cesari
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giorgio Basile.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Statement of human and animal rights

For this type of study formal consent is not required.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 2.

Table 2 Variables and cut points considered in creating the frailty index
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Basile, G., Catalano, A., Mandraffino, G. et al. Relationship between blood pressure and frailty in older hypertensive outpatients. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 1049–1053 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0684-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0684-5

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