Will lowering Blood Pressure would save lives? Clinical Trials Says so…

So far, the healthcare industry had been advised that the blood pressure of a healthy adult has to be less than 140 millimeters of mercury. And any increase in blood pressure that this guideline would attract serious consequences such as heart attack, stroke and sometimes loss of lives. Fitness and health practitioners followed this blood pressure guideline for many years

Prior to the SPRINT study, clinical research guidelines suggested that healthy adults maintain a systolic blood pressure of fewer than 140 millimeters of mercury. But now it’s time to rethink current blood pressure guidelines. Based on the traditional guidelines, doctors use various drugs to reduce systolic blood pressure when it raises from the specified normal level, the pressure of the heart when it contracts is pushed to less than 120 millimeters of mercury to prevent strokes, heart attacks, and death. This guideline is revealed by a clinical trial which is conducted on more than 9,300 people between the ages 50 or more with high blood pressure issues.

SPRINT – Clinical Trial

Researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Md., revealed their results from the SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) on September 11 last year which is the largest of its kind and began in 2009. The Clinical Trial Study involved participants divided into two groups. Volunteers in one group received averagely two drugs for lowering the blood pressure to 140 millimeters of mercury and below. Volunteers in the second group were subjected to three drugs on an average to lower blood pressure to 120 millimeters of mercury and below.

The results revealed unbelievable results. When compared to the target group with higher blood pressure, volunteers in the lower blood pressure group showed the significant reduction in their rate of various cardiovascular events which includes stroke, heart attack by third, and death risk by a quarter. This study is considered as “potentially lifesaving information,” and was the same said by Gary Gibbons, NHLBI Director.

“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,” said Lawrence Fine, M.D., chief, Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch at NHLBI. “But patients should talk to their doctor to determine whether this lower goal is best for their individual care.”

Other Revelations

Also revealing results on various examinations, the study is examined kidney disease, dementia, and cognitive function of the patients volunteered for the trial. However, the results are still undergoing various analysis and the details information are not available yet. SPRINT primarily sponsored by NHLBI and it is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute on Aging. Despite this clinical trial announcement, researchers have not yet released data from the clinical trial and the doors for debates with questions still remain open.