Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common medical problem. It can be caused by a number of other medical conditions such as chronic kidney disease, thyroid disorders and other hormonal upsets, and a rare adrenal gland tumor called pheochromocytoma.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease - hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure or stroke - increases with age. Often, multiple cardiac conditions coexist with other illnesses, and this makes risk assessments for applicants aged 70 and above extremely complex for underwriters.
The American College of Cardiology and The American Heart Association published the new “2017 Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults” on November 13, 2017. The new guidelines propose lower thresholds for diagnosing and lower goals for treating hypertension than the previous recommendations of 2003, especially for individuals at high risk for adverse future cardiovascular events.