Two thirds of UK over-65s 'suffer high blood pressure' » Health » 24dash.com

Almost two thirds of people aged 65 and over suffer high blood pressure and many have arthritis, according to figures published today.

Official statistics from the Health Survey for England showed that while more than half of people aged 65 and over consider their health to be good or very good, many suffer a range of problems.

More than a quarter (28%) of women and 24% of men are obese, leading to higher rates of diabetes, arthritis and risk of stroke.

Of those with high blood pressure, 60% are receiving treatment but fewer than half of those have it under control.

Arthritis was the most common chronic disease reported by women (47%) while heart disease was the most common among men (37%).

Other problems emerging from the survey include poor mobility, poor sight and hearing, and feeling lonely or depressed.

The study, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research and University College London (UCL), was funded and published by The Information Centre for health and social care.

More than a third (40%) of people said they suffered at least one problem when it came to functioning.

One of the most common complaints was being "unable to walk 200 yards or further unaided without stopping or discomfort" - an issue for 61% of women and 56% of men.

Two thirds (65%) of women and 48% of men found it difficult to walk up a flight of 12 stairs without resting.

The survey also found that 23% of men and 29% of women had suffered falls in the past 12 months.

Over a third (39%) of men and 47% of women said they had problems with mobility. By the age of 85 and over, two thirds of men and nearly three-quarters of women had mobility problems.

Women were more likely than men to have symptoms of depression, such as feeling unhappy, empty, helpless or hopeless.

A fifth of men (20%) and 28% of women reported feeling that way.

In addition, 4% of men and 7% of women said they had emotional, nervous or psychiatric problems, but researchers said they believed there was "significant under-reporting" about this issue.

Almost a fifth (18%) of men and 11% of women said they had a severe lack of social support from friends, family or community groups.

Men were more likely to suffer from poor contact with friends and family and people on low incomes were more likely to say they lacked social and family support, and were more likely to view their local area negatively.

Among all 65s and over, 71% said they had a long-standing illness, with more than 40% saying it limited their activities in some way.

On average, older people ate just less than four portions of fruit and vegetables a day and fewer than a third ate the recommended "five a day".

Dr Jennifer Mindell, clinical senior lecturer in UCL's department of epidemiology and public health, said the study raised pertinent questions, such as why keeping blood pressure under control differed so much by region.

She added: "Many people aged 65 and over have very good health, but a large proportion are living with chronic diseases.

"Yet again, we have found that people with lower incomes are generally in poorer health than those who are more affluent.

"We need to know and do more to improve the poor mental health and the reported lack of social support networks of a substantial proportion of this age group."

Rachel Craig, research director for the Health Survey for England and co-editor of the report, said: "Innovative new measures in this year's survey - such as the geriatric depression scale and tests of physical performance - give us new insights into the life and health of older people and the difficulties some of them face.

"The results are of practical importance for policy makers - for instance, a quarter of women cannot walk fast enough to cross the road in the time available at a pelican crossing."

Cathy Moulton, care adviser at Diabetes UK, said: "Those findings are worrying. Being overweight leaves you more at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

"Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to complications such as heart disease and strokes.

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among people with diabetes and 1.2 million days are spent in hospital each year by people with diabetes due to heart disease and strokes.

"Good diabetes management, which includes following a healthy diet and taking plenty of exercise, does help reduce the risk of CVD and the other complications of diabetes.

"But in addition to this, people with diabetes must also be able to access the best appropriate medical and surgical treatment as well as relevant medication."

The survey included questioning more than 4,000 people aged 65 and over.

Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "These statistics show the importance of helping older people improve their health.

"In particular, we need to do more to make it easier for people over 50 to become more physically active.

"An inactive lifestyle is often partly responsible for high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes - and all of these are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.

"It's never too late to start doing more exercise, as increased physical activity can improve your health with immediate effect."

Joe Korner, director of communications at The Stroke Association, added: "An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK each year and three- quarters of these occur in people over the age of 65.

"High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke and it is vital that everyone, whatever their age, has their blood pressure measured.

"High blood pressure is typically symptomless and is often referred to as a silent killer.

"It is important that people are having their blood pressure tested regularly and, if needed, receiving the appropriate treatment to keep their blood pressure under control. This simple and painless test really can save lives."

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