Age-related characteristics of ambulatory blood pressure load and mean blood pressure in normotensive subjects

Article Abstract:

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring involves measuring a person's blood pressure over a period of time as he or she goes about the activities of daily life. A device that is attached to the patient measures blood pressure at various intervals, usually for a 24-hour period, and these measurements are averaged. Ambulatory monitoring is considered a more accurate method for detecting and following-up hypertension (high blood pressure) than periodically measuring blood pressure in the clinical (office) setting. The device can also measure blood pressure load (the proportion of systolic and diastolic readings greater than 140 and 90 millimeters of mercury, respectively), which some research has indicated is a more reliable means of monitoring hypertension than the ambulatory method. (Systolic blood pressure is the pressure during the contraction phase of the heart beat cycle, and diastolic pressure is the pressure during the relaxation phase. Blood pressure is expressed as millimeters of mercury, or mm of Hg.) Monitoring with either method requires standards obtained from the general population with normal blood pressure. Ambulatory blood pressure and blood pressure load were measured in 126 healthy subjects (56 men and 70 women) with age included as a factor. The 56 male and 70 female participants ranged in age from 20 to 84 years. Results revealed that clinical blood pressure readings averaged 118 mm Hg for systolic and 75 mm Hg for diastolic pressure for the group, with the women averaging 114 mm Hg and 74 mm Hg and the men averaging 122 mm Hg and 76 mm Hg, respectively. Similar sex- and age-related findings were found in the ambulatory blood pressure measurements, with systolic blood pressure increasing with age and diastolic blood pressure increasing until age 70, after which a decrease was observed. Systolic blood pressure load was higher in men and increased with age, but diastolic load did not increase with age. These findings indicate that systolic blood pressure is normally higher in men and increases with age, and they support the conclusions of previous studies with similar results. The significance of blood pressure load remains unclear and requires more extensive study. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Hypertension, Diagnosis, Demographic aspects, Blood pressure

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Sarcopenia--Understanding the Dynamics of Aging Muscle

Article Abstract:

A study published in 2001 showed that the loss of muscle that occurs in aged people is not caused by decreased protein synthesis or changes in amino acid metabolism. This means that elderly patients may be able to maximize muscle mass by adequate nutrition, physical therapy, and regular exercise.

Editorial, Muscles, Proteins, Protein synthesis, Amino acid metabolism

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