Study Adds to the Growing Uncertainty about Blood Pressure Treatment Targets

Analysis of electronic health records from nearly 400,000 adults on antihypertensive medications found patients with systolic BP between 130 and 139 mm Hg and diastolic BP between 60 and 79 mm Hg were at the lowest risk of kidney failure and death during the study period (2006–2010). Compared to patients with systolic BP between 130 and 139 mm Hg, patients with measurements between 120 and 129 mm Hg (widely accepted as normal) and between 140 and 149 mm Hg were 10% and 40% more likely to die prematurely or develop kidney failure during the study period, respectively. The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.