Doctors should take More Aggressive Approach to treat High Blood Pressure

“Those people have a much higher risk of another event than the lower-risk population being treated for primary prevention”. People had been told to aim for a systolic blood pressure of 140.

“This is a fundamentally ground-breaking trial”. Two weeks ago the National Institutes of Health halted a major clinical trial early because, as The New York Times explained, the study had already “conclusively answered a question cardiologists have puzzled over for decades: How low should blood pressure go?” Friday’s results are preliminary, and researchers stressed that they shouldn’t alter patient care just yet.

“This trial gives us new evidence to say go lower”. In order to reach that goal, study participants in the 120 group took an average of three blood pressure medications, whereas the 140 group took two medications.

Another common intervention used against high blood pressure rates is the reduction of salt intake. It was supposed to be done over nine years, but was halted earlier so its results could be shared sooner.

The study saw participation from more than 9,300 adults aged 50 and above. They could add a new medication such as beta blockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, or calcium channel blockers. Studies suggest that alcohol reduction interventions can reduce systolic blood pressure by about 4 points among people who consume between 30 and 60 drinks a week.

Almost half decreased their systolic blood pressure.

“The systolic blood pressure is the maximal blood pressure that the heart generates to push the blood through the circulation”, Pack said. A systolic pressure that is naturally 120 might be good, but it is quite another matter to artificially drag pressure down so low with drugs. This trial reported that, among individuals with hypertension and type 2 diabetes, those who achieved a systolic pressure of 120 compared with 140 did not have a lower risk of cardiovascular events.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems.

If guidelines are changed because of this study – as blood pressure experts expect they will be – an already falling death rate from heart attacks and stroke could drop even more, said Dr Jackson T Wright Jr, a blood pressure expert at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, and a study investigator.

“Blood vessels in brain are the most sensitive to high blood pressure, but high blood pressure effects the whole circulatory system”. The drugs are cheaper and more advanced than ever before.

To get down to 120, these people may have to take more blood pressure medication.

As per current recommendations, systolic blood pressure of less than 140 mm Hg is adovated for for healthy adults and 130 mm Hg for adults with kidney disease or diabetes. Patients with initial blood pressure readings of ≥140/90 mm Hg who agreed to share their health data for research purposes were included in the analysis.

However, a drawback of the DASH diet is that it’s high in carbohydrates.

He added reducing alcohol consumption, losing 10 pounds if overweight and addressing any sleep disorders can also help reduce high blood pressure, as well as exercising regularly.

Meanwhile, what’s the advice for patients now struggling to control their blood pressure? He also said buying a blood pressure monitor for home use often provides the best readings and motivation. Importantly, among the patients with more than 20 “reward achievements”, about 85 percent lowered their blood pressure to become non-hypertensive.

It was not always easy for people in the study to reach their blood pressure goals. “Here are all my recordings, I wrote them all down for you, ‘ and they are sitting in my office and they are nervous and excited and they just walked up a flight of stairs and have a blood pressure 145 over 90, I am going to believe their home measurements more than their office measurements”, Pack said.

The study was funded by the company higi.

“But what this study is doing is trying to prevent the fire in the first place, which is what we want”. “This is excellent NIH dollars at work”. This is not to say that aggressive drug treatment might not help many older people, but there may be exceptions that can only be uncovered with access to the data. “The question has been how low should we be lowering the blood pressure“. “They affect the lives of thousands or millions of people”. They had better survival.

“They are well tolerated by the vast majority of people, side effects are minimal, manageable”, said Pack of such side effects as a dry cough, swelling at the ankles and muscle crams from low potassium. The other half received an average of three medications with the goal of getting below 120. “Then, when your life permits you to do something once or twice a week, you’ll be in physical shape to do that”, Bisognano said.