Should you take medication in order to acheive a Blood Pressure of 120/80? The SPRINT trial (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) originally published in 2015 is the NIH’s landmark blood pressure (BP) lowering trial. According to the NIH press release (bold emphasis mine),

"When SPRINT was designed, the well-established clinical guidelines recommended a systolic blood pressure of less than 140 mm Hg for healthy adults and 130 mm Hg for adults with kidney disease or diabetes. Investigators designed SPRINT to determine the potential benefits of achieving systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg for hypertensive adults 50 years and older who are at risk for developing heart disease or kidney disease." ⁽¹⁾

September 29th is World Heart Day and the World Heart Federation is letting you share your activity on their worldwide map. Whether you are running for someone you know, spreading awareness or just getting your blood pressure checked, let the world know at world-heart-federation.org.

On top of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, aggressive treatment of high blood pressure has shown effectiveness in mitigating risk of mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is viewed as a potential precursor to Alzheimer’s and dementia. A study showed that when treating patients to reduce systolic blood pressure below 120, as opposed to below 140, the past standard target, the risk of mild cognitive impairment was reduced by 19% comparatively.

Gone are the days where your cardiovascular health could be summed up in two numbers. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, measured at the brachial artery, were the key tools for staving off heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular disease (CVD). Have a BP of under 140/90? Great! You are going to live a long and healthy life. Over 140/90? Time to watch your salt and medicate away. While lowering BP in hypertensive patients has been proven to be an effective intervention, it may not be so simple any more. Research, such as the SPRINT study, are finding benefits for managing BP in pre-hypertensive patients. With that, a new series of indices and measurements are offering more tools for doctors to measure and treat hypertension.

On recognizing the fact that fifty percent of the world hypertensive population did not realize they had the condition, the World Hypertension League (WHL) dedicated May 17th to the promotion of hypertension awareness. Since that day in 2005, World Hypertension Day has been celebrated by offering free blood pressure readings through the volunteered efforts of numerous affiliated organizations across the globe.