Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in the elderly (2017)

China has stepped into an aging society. The social service development statistical bulletin 2015 published in July 2016 by Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that till the end of 2015, the amount of people ≥60 years of age had already approached to 222 million, which comprised 16.1% of the Chinese population, while the amount of people ≥65 years of age comprised 10.5% of the Chinese population was 143 million.(1) Hypertension is an independent risk factor for cardio‐cerebral‐vascular diseases and is a primary and contributory cause for death and disability in the elderly. A large number of epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that the risk of target organ damage of hypertension such as ischemic heart disease, cardiac insufficiency, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and aortic and peripheral artery diseases significantly increases with aging. Blood pressure control plays a significant role in reducing cardio‐cerebral‐vascular events and all‐cause mortality.(2) Compared to younger patients with similar blood pressure elevation, the risks of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events significantly increase in the elderly. Because of specialties in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestation in older patients with hypertension, physicians should pay more attention to the population characteristics and individual treatments.