HOT study recommends new blood pressure lows
HOT study recommends new blood pressure lows
Lowering diastolic blood pressure below the current targets can reduce stroke and heart attack risks, especially for diabetics. Currently, the recommended level for diastolic pressure is 90 mmHg. A recent study, the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) trial, reveals that even an eight-point reduction can make a difference.
Cardiologist Nicholas Tsapatsaris, MD, who coordinated the Burlington, MA-based Lahey Clinic’s participation in the trial, says, "Based on research findings, it appears that lowering the number from 90 mmHg to 82 mmHg can save lives in terms of reducing the numbers of deaths from heart attack and stroke." He adds that according to a related study, a patient’s quality of life suffers no negative impact from the eight-point reduction.
The subjects were randomly placed in three target blood pressure groups: 90 mmHg, 85 mmHg, or 80 mmHg. Out of the 724 cardiovascular events analyzed, the incidence of heart attacks was 84 in the 90 mmHg group, 64 in the 85 mmHg group, and 61 in the 80 mmHg group. The findings were drawn from a five-year follow-up of 18,790 patients in 26 countries.
Other key points of interest:
• Patients with diabetes and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg were more susceptible to cardiovascular disease-related deaths than those with diastolic blood pressure of 82 mmHg.
• Taking aspirin in addition to high blood pressure medication further reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
• A majority of subjects required combinations of different drugs to reach an 82 mmHg diastolic reading.
For further details, read Hansson L, Zanchetti A, Carruthers SG, et al. Effects of intensive blood-pressure lowering and low-dose aspirin in patients with hypertension: Principal results of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) randomized trial. Lancet 1998; 351:1,755-1,762.
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