Have we misjudged blood pressure? A lower NHS target could save thousands of lives
A study shows that introducing a lower blood pressure target than the current one could save thousands of lives per year.
Official NHS guidelines say the ideal pressure is between 90/60 and 120/80 millimetres of mercury (mmHg).
Patients with high blood pressure are usually treated with the aim of reducing their systolic pressure (the higher number representing the force with which the heart pumps blood through the body) to 140 mmHg.
However, research shows that lowering this value to 120 mmHg would prevent more heart attacks and strokes while remaining safe.
A quarter of adults in Britain – 14.4 million people – are thought to have high blood pressure, increasing the risk of health problems such as heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia.
Introducing a lower blood pressure target than the current one could save thousands of lives a year, a study finds (stock photo)
Researchers studied more than 11,000 people who were at high risk of heart disease due to conditions such as diabetes, age and lifestyle factors such as smoking.
Patients from 116 hospitals in China were divided into two groups with the aim of lowering blood pressure to less than 120 mmHg or the standard treatment of 140 mmHg.
They were given blood pressure lowering medications and recommendations such as exercise. They were then followed monthly for the first three months, and then every three months.
Their medication was adjusted to maintain the desired values. Follow-up checks were performed more than three years later.
Of those in the target group with lower blood pressure, 9.7 percent experienced a serious cardiovascular event, such as heart failure.
This compared with 11.1 percent of those who had a target blood pressure of less than 140mmHg, according to the findings published in The Lancet.
The authors said a lower blood pressure target of less than 120 mmHg should be considered for all patients at high cardiovascular risk, regardless of diabetes status or history of stroke.
According to official NHS guidelines, the ideal pressure is between 90/60 and 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) (stock photo)
Jing Li of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing said: ‘Implementing this intensive treatment strategy for high-risk adults may save more lives and reduce the public health burden of heart disease.’
It comes after a British study found that fluctuations in blood pressure are an important predictor of the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Earlier this year, researchers from Imperial College found that more than half of the incidents occurred in patients whose blood pressure was well controlled on medication – below 140 mmHg – suggesting the threshold is inadequate.
However, experts say the findings do not mean that everyone should start taking medication.
Professor Nilesh Samani, former medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘It is also important to remember that blood pressure can be improved by means other than drugs, such as exercise and weight loss.’
He said people concerned about their blood pressure should visit their GP.