(Medical News Today) — Researchers studied 2,733 older adults for over 18 years. They discovered that people with high blood pressure were more likely to experience a slowing of their walking speed over a long period of time. This research is important because the ability to walk at an acceptable speed is central to the independence of older adults.
New Research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Researchers and physicians know that older adults who have high blood pressure are less likely to function well, and more likely to become physically disabled, than people with normal blood pressure levels. However, that knowledge is based on studies that have lasted for only up to five years. The researchers who conducted this new study wanted to find out whether the link between poorer function and high blood pressure persisted over a longer period of time.
The researchers were from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Washington in Seattle. Grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funded the study, with additional contributions from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
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