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Friday, 11 October, 2024
HomeInternal MedicineBlood pressure meds raise risk of falls among the elderly

Blood pressure meds raise risk of falls among the elderly

[b]Yale University[/b] researchers found that elderly patients who take drugs to lower their blood pressure may be more likely to fall and end up with a broken hip or head injury, reports [s]MedicineNet[/s]. Side effects of blood pressure medications include dizziness and problems with balance. Older adults taking these drugs were 30%-40% to 40 more likely to suffer a serious injury. The risk was more than double among those who had suffered a similar injury previously.

Given the higher risks for illness and death after serious falls, 'the potential harms versus benefits of blood pressure medications should be weighed in deciding how aggressively to treat high blood pressure in older adults,’ said lead researcher [b]Dr Mary Tinetti, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale. Dr Sarah Berry, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School[/b] and co-author of an accompanying journal editorial, pointed out that ‘there does not appear to be one class of blood pressure drugs that are safer than others.’
[link url=http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=176900]Full MedicineNet report[/link]
[link url=http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1832197&resultClick=3]JAMA Internal Medicine abstract[/link]

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