Avoiding heart problems in your 80s
Advancing age may warrant changes to preventive therapies for heart disease. For example, most people in their 80s may do better with systolic blood pressure readings closer to 140 mm Hg or above, rather than 120 mm Hg. The decision to take statins and aspirin depends on a person’s history of heart disease and other risk factors. But a person’s degree of frailty—a syndrome marked by slowness, weakness, fatigue, and often weight loss—may be even more relevant than actual age when making medication decisions.
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