Baseline characteristics of participants in the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET)

Abstract

The Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) is a randomized double‐blind trial of active antihypertensive treatment (indapamide 1.5 mg sustained release ±2—4 mg perindopril) vs placebo in participants over the age of 80 years with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 160–199 mmHg during a placebo run‐in period plus a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of<110 mmHg. The trial has completed with 3845 subjects randomized and we report the baseline characteristics. The participants were a healthy group. The numbers smoking, drinking alcohol and having previous cardiovascular events were low, and their hypertensive status was not usually associated with the metabolic syndrome; 1.0% of the whole group had a total cholesterol over 8.0 mmol/l, 1.1% a blood sugar over 11.1 mmol/l (irrespective of anti‐diabetic treatment) and 1.7% a serum urate over 460 μmol/l (women) and 0.6% over 520 μmol/l (men). A serum creatinine over 150 μmol/l excluded participants from the trial. The gender differences and age comparisons were as expected but the women had higher average total and high‐density‐lipoprotein‐cholesterol blood concentrations. Those with prior cardiovascular disease had an excess of the known cardiovascular risk factors. The baseline characteristics provide a basis for further understanding of the HYVET results, which have been published recently.

• Cholesterol
• diabetes mellitus
• hypertension
• lifestyle characteristics
• serum uric acid
• very elderly