DRUG SELECTION FOR OPTIMAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY

Progressive aging of the world's population means that choosing the mo st effective drugs far the elderly is becoming increasingly important. The treatment of hypertension in the elderly is complicated because o f the need to consider altered pharmacokinetics, comorbidity and multi ple drug therapy in these patients. Antihypertensive treatment in the elderly has important and documented beneficial effects. However, no s ingle drug class is suitable as the first-choice therapy for all elder ly patients. The most appropriate choice of an antihypertensive drug o ften depends on comparative adverse effect profiles and the presence o f comorbid disease.