High blood pressure: people who take medication fall more often

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MunichMost people over the age of 70 suffer from high blood pressure. In extreme cases, this can trigger a heart attack or stroke. But American scientists found that taking antihypertensive drugs also has its dangers: the pills can increase the risk of dangerous falls.

Mary Tinetti and her team at the Yale School of Medicine followed 4,961 patients with high blood pressure for three years. The subjects were men and women over 70 years of age. 14.1 percent of them did not take pills for blood pressure relief, more than half (54.6 percent) took a medium dose of antihypertensive drugs, and the remaining 31.3 percent took high doses of the medication. In addition, 503 participants had fallen badly before.

Individual therapy

During the study period, 446 test persons were injured by a fall. They sustained serious injuries such as head and hip fractures. The risk of falling was higher when patients were taking high blood pressure medication: by 40 percent in subjects on moderate therapy and by 28 percent in subjects on high doses.

In the group of participants who had already been seriously injured by a fall before the study, the result was even clearer: With medium and high doses of medication, the risk of falling more than doubled (117 and 131 percent, respectively) .

The scientists do not know the exact reasons for this result. However, they insist that high blood pressure medication should not be prescribed too lightly. Tinetti says: "The dangers and advantages of antihypertensive drugs should always be weighed individually." (Ab)

Source: Tinetti M. e. et al .: Antihypertensive Medications and Serious Fall Injuries in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Adults, JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014

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