Functional performance indicators associated with hypertension in older people

Abstract

Introduction: During aging, changes occur in the human body that increase the probability of arterial hypertension which can potentiate deleterious effects on functional performance. Objective: To analyze the association of functional performance indicators with hypertension in older people. Methods: An epidemiological, population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 209 older adults (58.40% women). Functional performance was assessed by the following tests: handgrip strength; chair stand test; arm curl test; timed up and go (TUG); sit and reach test; and step in place test (SPT). Diagnosis of arterial hypertension was self-reported. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 58.90% (males: 51.70%; females: 63.90%). It was also observed that the hypertensive individuals of both sexes had worse performance in SPT and TUG (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it was found that each additional second for TUG increased by 11% the probability of hypertension in men (PR:1.11; 95%CI: 1.03-1.20) and by 7% in women (PR: 1.07; 95%CI: 1.04-1.12), while each step performed in the SPT decreased the probability for the outcome by 2% (men and women = PR: 0.98; 95%CI: 0.97-0.99). Conclusion: TUG was found to be positively associated with hypertension, while SPT was inversely associated with hypertension.