Scientists from the University of Oxford found blood pressure medication can prevent heart attacks and strokes—even in people with normal blood pressure.
They found greater drops in blood pressure with medication lead to greater reductions in the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
This holds true regardless of the starting blood pressure level, in people who previously had a heart attack or stroke, and in people who have never had heart disease.
The research was conducted by Professor Kazem Rahimi et al.
There has been controversy about whether pharmacological blood pressure lowering is equally beneficial in people with versus without a prior heart attack or stroke.
In the study, the team analyzed data from 348,854 participants in 48 trials.
Participants were divided into two groups: those with a prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and those without.
Over an average of four years of follow-up, the team found each 5 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure lowered the relative risk of major heart events by about 10%.
The risks for stroke, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and death from heart disease were reduced by 13%, 7% and 14% and 5%, respectively.
Neither the presence of heart disease nor the level of blood pressure at study entry modified the effect of treatment.
The team says the decision to prescribe blood pressure medication should not be based simply on a prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or an individual’s current blood pressure.
Rather, blood pressure medication should be viewed as an effective tool for reducing cardiovascular risk when a person’s probability of having a heart attack or stroke is elevated.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about common high blood pressure drugs that may actually raise blood pressure, and these teas may help reduce high blood pressure.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about why meat and eggs may harm your heart health, and results showing scientists find the cause and treatment for heart damage in COVID-19.
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