Intensive Blood Pressure Control: Do the Benefits and Harms Vary with Baseline Cardiovascular Risk?

Although intensive therapy may lead to more adverse events, the benefit-to-harm ratio favors it in patients at all risk levels.

The benefits of intensive blood pressure (BP) control have been shown to outweigh the harms, but whether this holds true across all levels of cardiovascular (CV) risk is unclear. To address this, researchers evaluated data from more than 8000 adults 65 to 80 years of age with hypertension who were randomized to intensive or standard BP treatment. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to 10-year CV risk at baseline and followed for a median of 3.3 years. Benefit was defined as a reduction in cardiovascular outcomes (a composite of stroke, acute coronary syndrome, acute decompensated heart failure, coronary revascularization, atrial fibrillation, and death from cardiovascular causes). Harm was defined as an increase in adverse even…

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)

Intensive Blood Pressure Control: Do the Benefits and Harms Vary with Baseline Cardiovascular Risk?

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Reviewing Author