Using multimedia and interactive tools, hypertension patients have successfully lowered their blood pressure by adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Internet can help hypertensive patients lower their blood pressure, says study presented this Saturday, March 18 at the congress of the American Society of Cardiology. Researchers from the University of Toronto (Canada) show that access to multimedia tools and online advice have been beneficial to patients undergoing treatment.
To carry out their work, the Canadian team followed 264 patients with an average age of 57 for a year. Three-quarters were Caucasians and more than half of the volunteers were women. They were randomly assigned to the group going to receive internet support or to the control group.
Interactive tools
On entry into the trial, patients had a blood pressure of approximately 140/90 mm Hg (normal blood pressure should be lower). About 15% of participants had higher blood pressure (160/100) and over 80% were receiving treatment for hypertension.
During the first 4 months, all volunteers in both groups received emails once a week, then once every two weeks for the following 4 months. The emails were then sent on a monthly basis for the last 4 months. In the first group, the emails contained links to online help and interactive tools to motivate them to eat better, be active and adopt a healthy lifestyle. The other group received simple information on cardiac pathologies and the behaviors to adopt to reduce blood pressure.
Beneficial whatever the stage of the disease
At the end of 12 months, the pulse pressure which is a predictor of cardiovascular risk, in particular of infarction, decreased by 4 mm Hg in the first group against 1.5 mm Hg in the control group. Thus, patients who received support on the internet reduced their risk of having a heart attack more than the other volunteers.
In addition, the researchers observed that the decrease in diastolic pressure was different between men and women. While women managed to decrease it by 6 mm Hg in both groups, men encouraged to change their lifestyle reduced it by 4 mm Hg and those in the 2th group one lowered by 1.5 mm Hg. Positive point: these improvements were noted in all patients regardless of the severity of their disease.
Optimize therapies
“Support on the internet has the same effect as adding an anti-hypertension drug,” underlines Professor Robert Nolan, head of the work. It is for this reason that we believe that providing lifestyle advice can be complementary and can optimize the effectiveness of therapy ”.
In France, 15 million men and women suffer from high blood pressure. This damages the arteries, and sometimes causes irreparable damage. This chronic pathology is largely due to the evolution of our lifestyles, in particular our diet too rich in fats, salt and sugars and sedentary lifestyle.
If adherence to treatment is crucial, a healthy lifestyle is a pillar of treatment. Experts strongly recommend that patients limit their salt intake, stop smoking and drinking alcohol, and learn to deal with stress. So many tips that healthy people can adopt to prevent the onset of this serious disease.
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