Blood pressure should be lower to save more lives: study

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For many years, medical experts tried to determine what the optimal blood pressure is, in order to reduce death and morbidity cases in the world. Fortunately, a new study has already identified how low blood pressure should be and what more, the research team suggests it can reduce the risk of death from medical complications brought about by high blood pressure to 25 percent.

CNN writes that based on a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), keeping the systolic pressure lower than 120 can lessen the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and strokes for adults age 50 and above. This is significantly lower than the current guideline of 140 and below.

Dr. Gary H. Gibbons, the director of NIH and the lead study of the research, states that the data they have collected can be a potential lifesaving information that can be used by most health and medical experts in treating their patients, especially those who are at risk. The physician called the results an “important milestone” in medical history because of the benefits people can get from it.

The study, which has been named Sprint, used 9,300 older men and women, who have shown higher risk of getting heart or kidney disease, The New York Times reports. They were divided into two groups, wherein one group received treatment to lower their systolic blood pressure to 120, while the other group had adjusted their systolic blood pressure based on the current guideline, which is 140 or below. Systolic blood pressure is the top number during measurement, and is responsible for pressure on blood vessels during heart contraction.

Dr. Jackson T. Wright, Jr., a researcher and blood pressure expert from the Case Western Reserve University, believes the result will change the guidelines soon, and it may also aid in resolving the leading cause of death in the United States.

However, the researchers still caution that further analysis and studies are required before any changes can be done on the medical guidelines, The Times Gazette writes. They also pointed out that it is still unclear as to whether other people will require intensive treatment before they can lower their blood pressure, especially among older patients.

The study was set to be released in 2017 but due to the significant results, the researchers have agreed to stop and release their preliminary conclusion. It is set to be written and published in a journal for peer review in the next few months to come.