Hypertension and associated diseases in elderly patients.

Hypertension is a cardinal risk factor in the genesis of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The presence of concomitant risk factors greatly increases the incidence of vascular events, and associations of age, hypertension, obesity and smoking are particularly lethal combinations. Accelerated atherosclerotic change characterizes sustained hypertension, and ischaemic heart disease, aortic dissection, stroke and multi-infarct dementia are major sequelae. Major studies in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have shown that treatment of hypertension significantly reduces the occurrence of strokes. Obesity and excess alcohol consumption closely correlate with hypertension. The relative importance to hypertension of type II diabetes and obesity is difficult to evaluate.