When evaluating the blood pressure of an older adult, the nurse needs to know that

Question

a. systolic blood pressure decreases and diastolic pressure increases with aging.
b. blood pressure should decrease with age because of decreased heart rate and cardiac output.
c. systolic and diastolic blood pressure tend to rise with aging because of the loss of elasticity of the arteries.
d. dilation of the aorta and rigid arterial pulses make the blood pressure more difficult to measure accurately.

Answer 1

C
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the circulating volume of blood on the walls of the arteries and veins. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures tend to rise in the older adult because of the loss of elasticity in the arteries. The arterial system becomes increasingly rigid as the blood vessels become fibrotic. A decrease in the diastolic pressure is seen more frequently in older adults with risk factors for hypotension. Blood pressure is not related to heart rate or cardiac output. In the older adult the resting heart rate remains constant, but maximal heart rate declines. The aorta becomes dilated and the arteries become rigid with aging; however, these changes do not make the blood pressure more difficult to measure accurately.