Correlation of Diuretic use and Sarcopenia in Elderly Patients with Hypertension

Hypertension is a chronic disease with high prevalence in Brazil and worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 31% of the world population has blood pressure levels ≥ 140/90 mmHg or uses antihypertensive medication. Hypertension is also the main risk factor with an independent, linear, and continuous association for cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases, in turn, are the leading cause of death, hospitalizations, and outpatient care worldwide, including in developing countries such as Brazil.

With aging, hypertension becomes an even more significant health problem. Around 61% of individuals over 60 years old have hypertension. In Brazil, the epidemiological transition with the increase in the number of elderly people (≥ 60 years) in the next decades will lead to a substantial increase in the prevalence of hypertension and its complications. Aging is still associated with other health disorders, including sarcopenia. As with hypertension, the prevalence of sarcopenia is higher in the elderly. It varies from 5% to 13% in people between 60 and 70 years of age, and from 11% to 50% in people ≥ 80 years of age.

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