Does hypertension or a previous myocardial infarction influence the blood pressure and heart rate responses to changes in body position? Results froma study with serial measurements in the supine and standing positions in 60-year-old men

An age-related attenuation of the normal increase in diastolic blood pressu re and heart rate upon standing has previously been observed in man. Whethe r this is due to ageing as such, or a consequence of a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in older compared to younger subjects, is unclear. This population-based study was conducted to address this question. It was carried out in three groups of 60-year-old men: (i) with hypertension (n = 75), (ii) with a previous myocardial infarction (n = 39), and (iii) without any of these diseases, thus constituting a control group (n = 41). Blood p ressure and heart rate were assessed during three 7-min periods (supine-sta nding-supine), using an unbiased non-invasive method. The cardiovascular re sponses were both qualitatively and quantitatively similar in all three gro ups, i.e. the increases in diastolic blood pressure and heart rate upon sta nding, and decreases upon laying down, were of a similar magnitude. In conc lusion, 60-year-old men with hypertension or a previous myocardial infarcti on had blood pressure and heart rate responses similar to those of men of t he same age who did not have these diseases. This indicates that the attenu ated response previously reported in older compared to younger people is no t explained by the higher prevalence of these cardiovascular diseases in th e elderly, but is merely an age-dependent characteristic.