Lowering blood pressure to below standard can actually save lives and avoid more heart attacks, scientists proved Monday.
In September of last year the government-run team of experts caused an uproar in the heart-related community by halting an ongoing study on blood pressure treatment and announced that patients who took more medications to keep lowering blood pressure were living longer and experiencing less heart “events” like strokes and heart attacks.
However, they weren’t able to provide all the information yet. They’ve now released the details at a meeting held by the American Heart Association. The details are clear.
For those with high blood pressures who are who are 50 or older, aiming to a reading of 120 millimeters (mm Hg) reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack and the heart to death by about 25. The blood pressure of those who was reduced to this low had a 27-percent lower risk of dying during the course of three years than those with blood pressures at the current 140 mm Hg target.
“This could be a game changer for some, but not for all.”
Three quarters of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. This means that millions of people might be affected due to these results.
The findings shocked the researchers and prompted an end to the study to allow them to investigate the numbers.
“When the advantages of the more aggressive intervention became evident in SPRINT the study, we pledged to swift public health education and peer-reviewed publication of findings of the study,” said Dr. Gary Gibbons, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) which was the sponsor of the study.
The results were in line the team’s report to the group.
“Regardless of whether patients suffered from any cardiovascular diseases or did not kidney problems or none, they were white or black or female and above or below 75, they all seemed to benefit in the same way,” Dr. Jackson Wright Jr. is an expert in blood pressure within University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, explained to NBC News.
At present, people are being advised to lower their blood pressure down to 140 or less. This is the most important number to look for in an assessment of blood pressure called the systolic blood pressure.
On average, it took three different drugs to bring blood pressure levels of patients down to 120 typically a diuretic is the primary choice to reduce blood pressure. It also includes the drug known as an inhibitor of calcium channels and another one that is known as an ACE inhibitor. There are numerous options in these categories of medications. Each reduces blood pressure through the use of a different technique.
Professor. Donald Lloyd-Jones of Northwestern University in Chicago who was not involved in the research He was thrilled by the news. “This will be a game-changer to many, but not necessarily for all,” he told NBC News. He added that he’ll be doing more to make blood pressure levels lower for his patients who are healthy and over 50.
Certain adverse side effects became more frequent when blood pressure decreased. They can include low blood pressure and fainting, as well as abnormalities in electrolytes (compounds) and acute kidney damage.
The researchers found that individuals weren’t more likely to fall, or have slow heart rates. Likewise, people suffering from kidney disease didn’t notice their condition getting worse.
“The advantages of higher-intensity blood pressure reduction far outweighed the potential harms regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity,” said Dr. Paul Whelton of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine who led the study.
However, they’re continuing to follow up to determine if the rate of dementia or other forms of cognitive impairment are different in people with less blood pressure. A few studies have revealed that individuals have difficulty thinking when they are taking excessive doses of blood pressure medications.
The Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Steve Nissen said he was not convinced at the moment. He said that more research is needed, and forecasts lots discussion “discussion”.
“I constantly worry about the rush to judgement or an over-exuberance can lead to an over-treatment of individuals,” Nissen told NBC News.
“We don’t want to treat too much the patient, and we do not wish to dismiss these results but we need to be able to comprehend these results more thoroughly before we modify our practice across the country.”
“We do not want to over-treat the patient, and we do not want to overlook these results, however, we need to comprehend these results more thoroughly before we alter our practices across the nation.”
Need to be answeredinclude: Can you safely increase blood pressure up to say 130? What happens between 140 and 120? Do you think it is worth taking additional medication to make your blood pressure down?
“It’s crucial to be aware that lifestyle changes to be healthy can be beneficial in managing high blood pressure,” the NHLBI’s Dr. Lawrence Fine.
The American Heart Association and the American Medical Association announced a collaboration Monday that will pay the attention of blood pressure.
“There is a significant amount of evidence that suggests the fact that blood pressure is a major contributing factor in a myriad of diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, heart failure kidney failure , and many other health results,” the Heart Association stated.
A new target may be even more difficult to reach than the blood pressure goal.
“Currently just about half of Americans who suffer from high blood pressure are getting the blood pressure goal that is less than 140/90 mm Hg,” said Heart Association president Dr. Mark Creager, director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
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