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Lower blood pressure to 120 instead of 140 New results from high blood pressure research
It is known that the risk of diseases such as heart attack or stroke increases with increasing blood pressure. Patients with high blood pressure are generally advised to lower this to 140. A new study from the US comes to the conclusion that 120 would be better for many people affected.
Lower blood pressure to 120 instead of 140
Hypertension remains dangerous if left untreated. The fact that the risk of heart attack, stroke and other dangerous diseases increases with increasing blood pressure is well known. Although high blood pressure can be defeated in many cases by a lot of sports and healthy nutrition, but often are needed for this medication. The question of how far it should be lowered in patients with hypertension has so far been answered as a rule by 140. However, a new study concludes that people with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease are less likely to get sick and less likely to die prematurely if their blood pressure is lowered to 120.
Hypertension: better adjust blood pressure to 120/80. Picture: Kurhan - fotolia Hypertension can have life-threatening consequences
The result of the so-called "SPRINT" study has now been presented at the conference of the US Heart Association and in the journal "New England Journal of Medicine". "Spiegel Online" reports that the US Department of Health had already announced in September that the investigation had ended prematurely, as there were nearly one third fewer infarctions and strokes and nearly a quarter fewer deaths in the intensively treated group. Now the concrete data is available. Thus, infarct, stroke, heart failure, cardiovascular death, or other causes were reported to be less common in the group whose blood pressure was below 120. However, acute renal failure, circulatory collapse, a threateningly slow heartbeat and a dangerous imbalance in the electrolyte balance were more common in the more intensively treated group.
It does not always have to be medication
Paulus Kirchhof, a cardiologist at the University of Birmingham, explained, "Spiegel Online": "Sprint has addressed a question that has been bothering cardiologists for years: how much should one lower blood pressure?" This is true of the big and good study done now not for everyone, but answered for many patients. It showed: "The number of serious cardiovascular events and deaths is reduced. However, you have to take a higher risk for serious side effects. "The new findings do not mean that all with a blood pressure above 120 now need to see the doctor, but easy high blood pressure must also be treated, experts advise. In some cases home remedies for high blood pressure are enough to get the problem under control. Patients are generally advised to adjust their lifestyle accordingly: eat healthily, exercise regularly, lose weight if they are overweight and not smoke. Only if that is not enough, the handle in the medicine cabinet is needed.
Study with hypertension patients
The new study will only target people with an already increased risk of cardiovascular disease. "The group studied in Sprint is one that is already being treated by the cardiologist - or should be," Kirchhof said. "The result should not lead to more people being treated - but more intensive treatment for some patients." A total of 9,361 people in the US and Costa Rica, all at least 50 years old, had a blood pressure above 130 and an elevated one Had risk for cardiovascular disease. Excluded, among others, were people with diabetes or patients who had already had a stroke.
"Despite the side effects, fewer people died"
A total of 155 people (3.3 percent) from the intensively treated group died. In the control group with standard therapy, there were 210 persons (4.5 percent). Among them were 37 deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the intensive care group and 65 among the control subjects. The cases of acute renal failure were also striking: 204 (4.4%) of the intensively treated patients were affected and 120 (2.6%) were in the control group.
"Despite the side effects, fewer people died in the intensively treated group," explained Kirchhof. The subjects had to take on average 2.8 different antihypertensives, so in the group a mean blood pressure of 121 was reached, but "that patients take three or five different drugs simultaneously, is not unusual in cardiology," said Kirchhof. "I strongly believe that the sprint result will feed into the next guideline. And I can imagine that a blood pressure of 120 is recommended as a treatment target for the group under investigation, "said the physician, who has worked on the current European guideline on hypertension therapy. (Ad)