Sheldon Tobe, MD, FRCP(C), Assistant Professor of Medicine, Nephrology, University of Toronto; Division Director Nephrology, Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON.
Sudha Cherukuri, MD, DNB(Nephrology), Clinical Fellow, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) is a common disorder in the elderly. Several studies have shown a constant positive and graded association between the level of systolic blood pressure and subsequent mortality from cardiovascular disease and stroke. ISH is defined as an elevated systolic pressure above 160mmHg and a diastolic pressure below 90mmHg. Arterial stiffening is the main cause of increasing systolic pressure in the elderly. The finding of high systolic blood pressure with diastolic below 90mmHg is a marker of higher cardiovascular risk and an indication to follow this patient more closely. The placebo-controlled SHEP and Syst-Eur trials have demonstrated that the treatment of ISH with diuretics or long-acting calcium channel blockers results in a marked reduction in cardiovascular events and stroke.
Key words: hypertension, isolated systolic hypertension, clinical trials, drug therapy, elderly.