The Effect of Slow Deep Breathing on Blood Pressure in Elderly People With Hypertension: A Literature Review

Abstract

According to the 2019 West Java health profile, the prevalence of hypertension is very high in residents aged over 18 years. Hypertension is when the systolic blood pressure is higher than 140 mmHg and the diatolic blood pressure is higher than 90 mmHg. Untreated hypertension can lead to complications such as stroke, kidney damage and heart failure. An example of complementary therapy that may be able to help lower blood pressure is slow deep breathing. This can stimulate parasympathetic nerve activity and inhibit the sympathetic nerves, causing systemic vasodilation, and a decrease in heart rate and contraction power, thereby reducing blood pressure. This study was conducted to identify the effect of slow deep breathing on blood pressure in elderly patients with hypertension. This was a literature review. Journal articles were found by searching in the PubMed, Google Schoolar, Science Direct and Garuda databases for articles published in 2016-2021. Articles were selected using the JBI critical appraisal tool for quasi-experimental and randomized controlled trials. Five articles were obtained: three from Indonesia and two international articles. The findings showed that slow deep breathing can help reduce blood pressure in elderly people with hypertension. Therefore, slow deep breathing is a non-pharmacological therapy that can be done by people with hypertension in an effort to lower their blood pressure. Keywords: hypertension, elderly, slow deep breathing