Chlorthalidone treatment for systolic hypertension improves life expectancy

Treating systolic hypertension in older patients with the diuretic chlorthalidone leads to a long-term gain in life expectancy. A gain in life expectancy free from cardiovascular death of about 1 day gained for each month of treatment was found with 22 years of follow-up in the U.S.-based Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP).

The message of an additional day of life expectancy free from cardiovascular disease with each month of therapy may convince patients to stay on their antihypertensive medication, the SHEP investigators suggest.

The prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension was found to be as high as 45.8% in persons 60 years or older living in North India...