The change in blood pressure in the elderly has been studied as a risk factor for deficits in cognition and functional capacity. OBJECTIVES: to investigate the cognitive function and functional capacity and their correlation in elderly hypertensive (HG) and normentensive (NG). METHODS: observational, analytical and crosssectional study with 56 elderly divided into two groups HG (n=42) and NG (n=14) assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and Functional Fitness Test. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: data were evaluated using the t Student test, the chi-square and Pearson's correlation test by SPSS 17.0, assigning a significance level of 5% for all tests. RESULTS: there was a negative correlation, but low between the groups HG and NG on the cognitive deficit (r= -0,23; p=0,08), strength of lower limbs (r= 0,24; p=0,08) and endurance aerobic - 2MST (r=0,31; p=0,02). Testing the flexibility of upper and lower limbs there were moderately negative correlation between HG and NG groups (r=0.62; p <0.001 and r=0.39, p=0.003), and positive for agility and balance - TUG (r=0.38 and p=0.004). We found a significant difference to the level of physical activity of HG and NG with p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that hypertension directly affects the elderly in that it predisposes to cognitive decline, and limits the ability of individuals to perform their basic activities independently, reducing the functional mobility, mainly when associated with other comorbidities and unhealthy life style.
Blood Pressure; Health of the Elderly; Habits; Hypertension; Aging; Cognition; Physical Fitness
