Blood Pressure: How Low is Healthy?

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Blood pressure has always been a good indicator of an individual's risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Studies show that keeping it low means preventing the occurrence of heart attacks, strokes and deaths; however, researchers are still at a loss as to how low blood pressure should go before it can be considered as healthy.

The New York Times reports that the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is seeking the right answers as part of its mission to reduce cardiovascular disease mortality among individuals. Dr. Michael Lauer, the director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the said institute, agrees that treating hypertension is the key, but is unsure as to how aggressive they should be. 

SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial), the biggest and most rigorous study conducted among 9,000 middle-aged and older adults with high blood pressure, will release its results by 2017. The study will help measure heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and its effects on the brain. 

The uncertainty widens as people's condition differs from one another. 67-year-old Glenn Lorenzen's systolic blood pressure shot up to 220 last October, reports Food NDTV. After being checked at the Boston Veterans Affairs Hospital in December, Lorenzen was informed that his blood pressure was reduced to 124 after taking medications and undergoing weight management.

Is this enough or should he aim for 120, 140, or even 150? The lack of evidence leaves doctors to base their decisions on chance.

If the study says below 120 is better than below 140, then the plans for Lorenzen will probably change. But if the study shows below 120 is just the same as a blood pressure reading of below 140, then doctors are back to where they started.

A third scenario that may totally throw everything out of proportion is if they say below 120 is actually dangerous.

Based on an RDM article, Dr. William Cushman, the chief of preventive medicine at the VA Medical Center in Tennessee, says that epidemiology has consistently shown a systolic pressure of 120 or below means reduced cardiovascular mortality but it doesn't necessarily mean that treating it with medication gives individuals that benefit. This goes to show that a blood pressure lowered with drugs is not the same as a blood pressure that is naturally lowered.

Until then, doctors can only wait for SPRINT results to make their daily decisions and prescription treatment for patients with high blood pressure.