Comparing the Risks and Benefits of Intensive Blood Pressure Control

Despite an increase in adverse events, intensive BP control still leads to net benefit.

Hypertension guidelines recommend intensive blood pressure (BP) control, but debate remains about the risk–benefit ratio. Now, investigators have conducted a pooled analysis of participant-level data from six randomized controlled trials that compared intensive BP control (with systolic targets of <120 or <130 mm Hg) against standard BP control. The analysis included 80,000 patients with a median follow-up of 3 years. Cardiovascular events included myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and cardiovascular death. Treatment-related adverse events included hypotension, syncope, injurious fall, arrhythmia, angioedema, acute kidney injury, and progressive renal dysfunction.

Key results:

Intensive BP control resulted in fewer cardiovascular …

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)