Many older patients with high blood pressure are not taking medication as directed, US study finds

About a quarter of older patients with high blood pressure may be either skipping doses of their blood pressure medications or failing to take them altogether, a US study has found.

About 70% of US adults over the age of 65 have hypertension but only about half have their blood pressure under control, defined as achieving a blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, and failure to take medication as directed—nonadherence—is the leading reason for poor blood pressure control.

In the study, …