Blood pressure falls in final years, showing need for personalised care

Blood pressure gradually begins to decline 14 years before death, highlighting the importance of personalising patient care, a study shows.

Researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School and the University of Connecticut Health Center in the US examined the medical records of 46,634 British citizens who died aged 60 or more between 2010 and 2014.

They found blood pressure declines were steepest in patients with dementia, heart failure, weight loss late in life, and those who had high blood pressure for much of their lives.

Long-term decline also occurred in patients who remained healthy until death.

Previous studies have indicated that blood pressure may drop in older patients, and treatment for hypertension has been suggested as explaining why blood pressure was found to be lower later in life.