An American study calls into question the goals of treatment for high blood pressure. She recommends higher targets than the recommendations.
From what stage should arterial hypertension be treated? Studies on the subject diverge. The results of an analysis, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, indicate that treating systolic blood pressures above 140 mm Hg can significantly reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular disease.
At blood pressure levels below 140/80, treatment does not provide any prevention benefit, but may protect people with coronary artery disease. This work calls into question the commonly accepted objectives as well as the latest American recommendations.
Very broad analysis
More than 300,000 people and 74 studies were taken into account in the analysis published in JAMA. The results show that for systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or more, treatment reduces the risk of death and cardiovascular disease. Between 140 and 159 mm Hg, the risk of death is reduced in the same proportions but the reduction in cardiovascular accidents is less important. When the systolic blood pressure is below 140 mm Hg, the treatment has no effect, neither on the reduction of mortality, nor on the reduction of cardiovascular accidents.
In the United States, a drop in targets
Paradoxically, in the United States, the thresholds have been further lowered in the latest recommendations. The target was changed from 140 / 90mm Hg to 130 / 80mm Hg, in line with the results of the SPRINT study. This increases the number of people considered to have hypertension (+ 31.1 million people).
High blood pressure is the main risk factor for death from cardiovascular disease.
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