NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IN ELDERLY PATIENTS: FOCUS ON INDAPAMIDE SR/AMLODIPINE FIXED DOSE COMBINATION

Objective. Target blood pressure (BP) is achieved only in 1/3 of patients with arterial hypertension (HTN). The target is most difficult to achieve in elderly patients. Systolic BP (SBP) in elderly patients is the strongest prognostic factor of cardiovascular complications. Thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics and calcium antagonists are effective drugs for reducing SBP and pulse pressure (PP). They also show positive impact on aortic BP, which is associated with high arterial stiffness and is common in elderly people. The combination of a thiazide diuretic and a calcium antagonist is recommended by the current algorithms and guidelines for HTN, but due to the lack of a fixed combination, it has not yet been widely applied in clinical routine practice. Recent data on the efficacy, safety of indapamide retard and amlodipine suggest that their combination may become an alternative treatment option for HTN patients, especially in patients with high SBP and PP, in elderly patients and other groups of patients with high arterial stiffness.