The predictive value of a high diastolic or systolic blood pressure for presence or development of cardiovascular disease diminishes with age. In the present 10-year prospective study of 70-year-olds a Cox regression analysis for competing risk markers for cardiovascular events in the eighth decade was carried out. This analysis showed that neither high diastolic nor high systolic blood pressure had individual predictive value for death from cardiovascular diseases. Concerning development of cardiovascular diseases, however, high systolic blood pressure had individual predictive value in both sexes.