A landmark study called Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that an intensive management of high blood pressure that lowers the systolic pressure below the common target decreases the risk for cardiovascular disease and death, The Los Angeles Times reported.
In the treatment of hypertension, the target systolic pressure is usually 140 mm Hg. The study, which began in 2009, sought to determine the effect of maintaining a systolic blood pressure of 120 mm Hg or less on those who face the risk of developing a heart disease or a kidney disease. The study involved 9,300 participants aged 50 years and more from various medical centers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
"This study provides potentially lifesaving information that will be useful to health care providers as they consider the best treatment options for some of their patients, particularly those over the age of 50," Dr. Gary H. Gibbons, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), said in a press release.
The participants were divided into two groups: the standard group and the intensive treatment group. The standard group received two medications to maintain their systolic blood pressure at 140 mm Hg, while the intensive treatment group received three medications to bring their systolic blood pressure to 120 mm Hg or lower.
Researchers discovered that lowering the systolic blood pressure target to 120 mm Hg lessened the occurrence of heart attack, stroke and heart failure by 30 percent and cut the risk of death by 25 percent.
"This study certainly supports that lower is better," Dr. Mark Creager, president of the American Heart Association who was not involved in the new study, told ABC News. Creager said the study could pave the way for better treatments that can save more lives.
"Our results provide important evidence that treating blood pressure to a lower goal in older or high-risk patients can be beneficial and yield better health results overall," Dr. Lawrence Fine, chief of the Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch at NHLBI, said in the press release. "But patients should talk to their doctor to determine whether this lower goal is best for their individual care."
NIH is not releasing further information about the study until the results are published in a journal by the end of the year, according to ABC News.
