A new study shows that keeping blood pressure lower than usual can help prevent serious heart problems and even save lives. This is especially important for people who already have a higher risk of heart disease.
Blood pressure is measured using two numbers. The top number is called systolic blood pressure. In most cases, doctors aim to keep this number below 140. But this study tested whether lowering it even further—to below 120—would make a bigger difference.
The study, called the ESPRIT trial, was done in China and focused on people who were more likely to develop heart disease. Researchers wanted to see how much of a difference it would make if these people got extra care to keep their blood pressure very low.
The results were very promising. People who had their systolic pressure lowered to below 120 had a 12% lower chance of having serious heart problems. This included heart attacks, strokes, deaths from heart issues, surgeries to open blocked blood vessels, and being admitted to the hospital with heart failure.
Even more impressive, there was a 39% drop in deaths caused by heart disease in the group with lower blood pressure. This means that keeping blood pressure lower helped many people avoid deadly heart problems.
Not only that, but the study also found that people in the low-blood-pressure group had a 21% lower risk of dying from any cause. So, this approach didn’t just help with heart health—it helped people live longer in general.
Safety was also an important part of this study. Some people worry that lowering blood pressure too much might cause problems, like fainting or kidney issues.
The researchers looked into this and found that most serious side effects did not happen more often in the group with lower blood pressure. There were slightly more cases of fainting, but they were rare.
This study shows that better blood pressure control can protect people from serious health problems. It also suggests that doctors might want to aim for lower blood pressure targets in people who are at high risk for heart disease.
High blood pressure is very common around the world, and it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other life-threatening conditions. By treating it more carefully, especially in people with higher risk, many of these problems can be avoided.
These results are a strong reminder that managing blood pressure is one of the most important things we can do for heart health. It’s also important to check your blood pressure regularly and talk to your doctor about the best way to manage it—through lifestyle changes, medicine, or both.
With more people using this kind of careful blood pressure treatment, many lives could be saved and fewer people would suffer from serious heart problems.
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