It has been clearly shown in repeated epidemiological studies that both increased systolic and increased diastolic blood pressures are related to increased mortality. The same tendency has been found in elderly subjects although the difference could be smaller.Well-controlled clinical trials have also demonstrated that antihypertensive therapy can decrease the morbidity and mortality of the disease in certain well-defined groups of hypertensive subjects. However, the value of antihypertensive therapy in elderly subjects is still debated. Certain centres feel that in elderly patients increased blood pressure causes increased mortality and that therefore the high blood pressure should be treated. Other centres feel that both increased blood pressure and increased mortality depend upon one or more other factors (X) and that increased blood pressure can be necessary for an adequate tissue perfusion in elderly patients, especially with major artery obstruction.Since large-scale double-blind control trials on this subject are lacking we decided to embark on a multicentre trial. We felt indeed that sufficient evidence was available suggesting that antihypertensive therapy in elderly subjects was probably not dangerous (Veterans Administration Study, 1972).A common study protocol was elaborated by a European working party (EWPHE) ( Table 1) on high blood pressure in elderly patients.Elderly patients with high blood pressure can become candidates for the study only if they fulfill all positive criteria and none of the negative criteria. Before final admission of a candidate to the study, his initial record form is sent to the co-ordinating office in Leuven, Belgium, and the patient is followed during a run-in period on placebo capsules.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.