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Health See other Health Articles Title: How low to go: Details emerge on big blood pressure study ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Details were revealed Monday from a landmark federal study that challenges decades of thinking on blood pressure, giving a clearer picture of plusses and minuses of more aggressive treatment. The study was stopped in September, nearly two years early, when it became clear that lower pressure for most people over 50 helps prevent heart problems and deaths, but side effects and other key details were not disclosed. Full results came Monday at an American Heart Association conference in Orlando and were published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, along with a dozen commentaries in three science journals. "Overall, we deemed that the benefits far outweigh the risks" of aiming lower, said one study leader, Dr. Paul Whelton of Tulane University. One in 3 U.S. adults has high blood pressure, a reading of 140 over 90 or more. Normal is under 120 over 80. Yet the study enrolled people with a top number of 130 or more, somewhat muddying the notion of who needs treatment. More than 9,300 people were enrolled. Half got two medicines, on average, to get their top blood pressure reading below 140. The rest got three drugs and aimed for under 120. THE RESULTS After one year, 1.65 percent of the lower pressure group had suffered a major heart problem or heart-related death, compared to 2.2 percent of the others, a 25 percent lower risk. About 3.3 percent of the lower pressure group died, versus 4.5 percent of the others, a 27 percent lower risk. SIDE EFFECTS Too-low blood pressure, fainting episodes and more worrisome, kidney problems were 1 percent to 2 percent higher in the lower pressure group. Yet falls that cause injury due to lightheadedness were not more common, as had been feared especially for older people. The risks were considered well worth the benefits of a lower risk of heart trouble and death. DOES IT APPLY TO ME? The study involved people over 50 whose top reading was over 130. People with diabetes were excluded, so the results do not apply to them. The results also may not apply to people with previous strokes, the very old, those with severe kidney disease or people already taking a lot of different drugs, said Dr. James Stein, who heads the high blood pressure program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. People who start with a high top reading, such as 170 or 200, also may not do well trying to drop so low so suddenly, Dr. Murray Esler of Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, wrote in a commentary in the journal Hypertension. GUIDELINES MAY CHANGE The new study "makes sense and is a major advance," Stein said. "Time to fix the guidelines," which come from many groups and aim for a top number of 130 to 150, depending on age and other factors, such as whether the patient has diabetes. THE BOTTOM LINE Only half who know they have high blood pressure have it under control now. From a public health standpoint, improving that situation may be more important than having a new number as a target. "If we lower the goal ... you'll see more and more people getting to lower pressure," said Dr. Daniel Jones of the University of Mississippi, a heart association spokesman. ___ Marilynn Marchione can be followed at twitter.com/MMarchioneAP Related Stories Aggressive blood pressure control could help millions: study AFP What's healthier than walking to work? Running to catch the bus: study AFP Relax News Majority Of Americans Take Prescription Drugs Huffington Post Lilly diabetes drug cuts heart failure death, hospitalization: study Reuters Hypertension in pregnancy linked to future heart disease Reuters How Older Men Tighten Their Skin lifecell Sponsored Poster Comment: Jcode ... If you don't drink enough water, you will have blood pressure problems even if you do those things. Most people are dehydrated and the cause of many diseases. Jcode WATER CURE DEBATE. Look it up on Youtube and your life might change. We are all dehydrated. You don't drink enough water and you know that. Salt is good for you and lowers your blood pressure. Of course, we are all dehydrated so eating salt causes major problems. My chronic high blood pressure disappeared once I started eating salt by the TEASPOON straight and drinking the recommended daily amount of water. Not selling anything here. There is nothing to buy. Just view the damn videos and talk to your doctor before doing anything, but you know what they answer is going to be. Most are reading from a script and are clueless. 5-5 @SANDYH, "Water Cure Debate Part 1/6" 6 videos. Start with that one and keep going. T ... I was having "problems" with my kidneys so my Dr said. (my GFR was around 67- a little decreased but I felt fine). My BP on avg runs 90/60 but never bothers me. The kidney specialist upon meeting me on my 1st appt. said my BP was too low. I said I thought low pressure is good? He said I was right but only if no adverse effects. I said I'm perfectly fine. He said your kidneys aren't. They don't have enough pressure to work well. I want to get your pressure up to 110-115. I said ok; I'll play. My pressure now runs 108/67 on avg. My GFR is now 110 (which is great)...... Dr was right :) I was wrong :( 7 BG Blood pressure varies greatly over a 24 hour period. If you measure it in the morning, it will most likely be lower than in the afternoon. It is dependent on heart rate and will be much lower after exercising for a period of an hour or two. It is affected by temporary stress, eating and drinking. It is affected by heart rate at the time it is measured. Measuring it once every year at the doctors office is not at all indicative of actual health risks. Buy a monitor for $60 or so and check it frequently to see trends, which can also be misleading due to short term variations, but which are likely indicative of severe problems or trends over long period. 5 Harry Kneecaps "Half got two medicines.....The rest got three drugs" I know people on these medications and theres a relatively common side effect this article doesnt mention. "Some types of blood pressure medicines can actually cause erectile dysfunction. It's known that diuretics or water pills (hydrochlorothiazide, spironolatone) and certain beta-blockers (like Atenolol) can cause erection problems. These are also the first drugs that a doctor is likely to prescribe if you are not able to lower your blood pressure through diet and exercise."4 Doug... so tie your thing to a popsicle stick. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Wo would have thought this subject would ever be controversial, much less censored?
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