Good news for the elderly

Blood pressure reducing drugs (antihypertensive drugs) could help to keep elderly people fitter for longer by slowing the physical decline that accompanies age. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors prevent high blood pressure by blocking an enzyme which causes blood vessels to constrict. They also preserve muscle strength in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This study aimed to assess the effect of ACE inhibitors on reduction in physical performance and muscle strength in older women who do not have CHF. 641 elderly women participated in the Womens' Health and Ageing study conducted at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The average age of these women was approximately 79 years. They were divided into four groups depending on the type and duration of the antihypertensive treatment that they were taking. 61 had used ACE inhibitors continuously, 133 intermittently, 146 never, and 301 had used other drugs either continuously or intermittently. They found that those who used ACE inhibitors continuously had less muscle decline and could walk quicker than women who had used the drugs occasionally or not at all. The results suggest that ACE inhibitor treatment could decrease long-term decline in physical function in elderly women who do not have CHF. If these findings can be confirmed in randomised controlled trials, ACE inhibitors could not only be used as first-line treatment for older adults with hypertension but could also be used to slow physical decline in elderly people. Also it seems that ACE inhibitor treatment could either slow down or even halt decline in the heart- muscle's strength in elderly women with hypertension and without CHF. Although this study was limited to women there is other research that has shown the same effect for men.