Study of blood pressure: What matters in Later Life? The SWaLLow Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Qualitative Study exploring the impact of blood pressure in daily life in the context of developing frailty.
IRAS ID
232793
Contact name
Oliver Todd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study aims to find out how we might improve blood pressure treatment for older people who have frailty.
Frailty develops because as we get older our bodies change, and can lose their inbuilt reserves, for example we lose muscle strength. These changes mean that older people with frailty can experience sudden, dramatic changes in their health as a result of seemingly small problems, such as a new medication, or an infection. Frailty is common in older age, affecting 1 in 4 over 85.
More than half of people aged over 80 are prescribed more than two medicines for high blood pressure. This treatment can reduce a person’s future risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, a significant number of people also develop side effects of blood pressure treatment which can be serious – particularly for older people with frailty.
Lowering blood pressure too much can cause a lack of blood supply to vital organs leading to harm. In the case of the brain this can cause dizziness or a fall which increases the risk of a broken bone. Breaking a bone such as a hip at an older age can mean someone is no longer able to walk independently, and may need to move to a nursing home. At worst a fall can itself be a lethal event.
For older people with frailty, we do not know how best to balance of benefit and harm of blood pressure treatment. This study will involve older people who live with both high blood pressure and frailty. We will explore what is relevant in their daily life, and how their values influence the perception of risk in the treatment of blood pressure. Findings will inform the choice of relevant outcomes for the treatment of blood pressure in older people with frailty.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0011
Date of REC Opinion
7 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion