Editorial: Hypertension in the Elderly

Polypharmacy, drug interactions, nonadherence, and quality of life issues can be important in the development of a management plan for elderly hypertensive patients, particularly as seniors average six or more medications for chronic conditions. Multidisciplinary teams may be particularly useful in meeting the needs of this growing patient population.

Reference

Aronow, WS, et al. "ACCF/AHA 2011 Expert Consensus Document on Hypertension in the Elderly. A Report of the American College of Cardiology Task Force on Clinical Expert Consensus Documents in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, American Geriatrics Society, American Society for Preventive Cardiology, American Society of Hypertension, American Society of Nephrology, Association of Black Cardiologists, and European Society of Hypertension," published online April 25 (J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2011;57 [doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2011.01.008]).

This column, "Effective Physician," appears regularly in Internal Medicine News, a publication of Elsevier. Dr. William E. Golden is professor of medicine and public health, and Dr. Robert H. Hopkins is program director for the internal medicine/pediatrics combined residency program at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Write to Dr. Golden and Dr. Hopkins. They reported having no conflicts of interest.