The Relation of Hypertension to Changes in ADL/IADL Limitations of Mexican American Older Adults

Hypertension, highly prevalent and often undiagnosed among older Mexican Americans, is associated with greater limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) that can lead to greater dependency for older adults. Using data from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly study, the rate of increase in ADL/IADL limitations for a 7-year period was examined for 3,046 older Mexican Americans classified either as reporting hypertension at baseline, first reporting hypertension at subsequent waves, or never reporting hypertension. Latent growth models indicated increased ADL/IADL limitations over time; individuals with hypertension evidenced greater increases than those without hypertension. Age, comorbidities, and depression were positively related to greater ADL/IADL limitations at baseline for all groups; only age was consistently related to ADL/IADL change over time. Development of hypertension may increase the risk of ADL/IADL decline, but early diagnosis and treatment may attenuate this effect.