[Cardiovascular agents in the elderly: main rules to optimize their use].

Effectiveness of cardiovascular drugs in the treatment of several cardiovascular diseases is widely demonstrated. These drugs may be the source of potentially serious adverse events in the old individuals and fear of these events may partly explain why beta-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are underused in elders with heart failure. Cardiovascular drugs should be prescribed using safe practices, including dose adjustment taking into account the renal function and the search for conditions like orthostatic hypotension or conduction disorders. Cardiovascular drugs prescribing must be done according to evidence-based medicine in the elderly. The doses must be adjusted individually, taking into account the objectives and target doses, as the individual parameters as creatinine clearance, hydration status, blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension.