High blood pressure, also called hypertension, happens when the force of blood pushing against your blood vessels is too strong.
Over time, this can lead to serious health problems like heart attacks and strokes.
A new study by Dr. Nelson Wang and his team from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, offers hope for people trying to manage high blood pressure. Their research was published in the journal JAMA Cardiology on April 26.
The researchers wanted to see if taking a mix of three or four blood pressure medicines—each at a low dose—would work better than just taking one medicine. They looked at results from seven past studies that included a total of 1,918 patients.
In four of the studies, people were given a combination of three medications. In the other three studies, people took four different medications. These combinations were compared to one medication, regular treatment, or a placebo (a pill with no active medicine).
The results were exciting. People who took the low-dose combinations had bigger drops in their blood pressure. These improvements happened within four to twelve weeks of starting the combination treatment.
Even more impressive, more people who took the combination pills reached healthy blood pressure levels (under 140/90 mm Hg). About 66 out of every 100 people on combination pills reached this goal, compared to 46 out of 100 on single medication and only 18 out of 100 on a placebo.
Two of the studies followed patients for six to twelve months. Even during this longer time, the combination pills continued to work better than standard treatments.
Some people reported feeling dizzy while taking the combination pills, but there were no serious side effects, and no one had to stop taking their medicine.
Dr. Wang and his team believe that these low-dose combination (LDC) medicines could help around 70 out of 100 people lower their blood pressure to a healthy level. They are now working to find ways to improve the results even more, while avoiding discomfort for patients.
It’s also important to know that some researchers involved in the study have financial ties to companies that make blood pressure medicines, and some have filed patents on this idea. This is common in medical research, but it’s still important to be aware of when looking at the findings.
Overall, this study offers a new and hopeful way to treat high blood pressure. Instead of raising the dose of one medicine, using a mix of low doses from several medications may work better. It could mean more people reach safe blood pressure levels and reduce their risk of serious health problems.
If you are concerned about your blood pressure, ask your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. There are also other studies worth looking into—like research on how black licorice or natural plant pigments may affect blood pressure.
This study from JAMA Cardiology is a big step forward in helping people live healthier, longer lives.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that new research challenges conventional blood pressure guidelines and scientists make a big breakthrough in high blood pressure treatment.
For more about blood pressure, please read studies that widely used blood pressure drug may increase eye disease risk and common blood pressure drugs linked to cognitive decline.
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