By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
THURSDAY, April 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) – If a healthy lifestyle change doesn’t lower a patient’s mildly high blood pressure within six months, doctors should consider prescribing medication, according to a new scientific opinion from the American Heart Association.
The recommendation applies to people with untreated stage 1 hypertension (130-139 / 80-89 mm Hg) who have a low risk of a heart attack or stroke within 10 years. Low risk means less than 10%.
The statement updates the American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association’s 2017 Blood Pressure Management Guidelines, which suggested that these people should first make a change in their healthy lifestyle and then check their blood pressure again in six months.
The new guideline applies to nearly 10% of American adults with high blood pressure.
“There are no treatment recommendations in [the 2017] Guidelines for patients at relatively low short-term risk of heart disease when blood pressure does not drop below 130 mm Hg after six months of recommended lifestyle changes, “group chairman Dr. Daniel Jones said in an AHA press release.
continuation
“That statement fills that void,” noted Jones, professor and dean emeritus of the University of Mississippi Medical School and past president of the Heart Association.
Many people with stage 1 high blood pressure are adults under 40 years of age.
“We know that people with blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg have fewer markers of cardiovascular risk, such as increased coronary calcium, enlarged heart, or build-up of fatty deposits called atherosclerosis in the neck arteries. There are Strong Evidence for This Treatment High blood pressure saves lives by reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, “said Jones.
Healthy lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure include weight loss / control, regular exercise, limiting salt intake, increasing potassium intake, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption. It is also recommended to follow the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. This is a nutritional plan that is high in fruits and vegetables combined with low fat dairy products and low in saturated fat and total fat.
It is also important for patients “to check their blood pressure regularly to monitor progress. If they do not achieve a mean daily systolic blood pressure of less than 130 mm Hg, it is probably time to speak to their doctor about the practicalities.” Next steps to start include adding drugs to control blood pressure, “said Jones.
continuation
The statement was published in Hypertension magazine on April 29th. It also states that in young adults who started taking antihypertensive drugs in childhood, doctors should consider the original indication to start treatment (usually to prevent organ damage from long-term high blood pressure) to assess the need to continue Assess medication and lifestyle changes.
More information
The United States Institute of Heart, Lung, and Blood is more concerned with high blood pressure.
Source: American Heart Association, press release, April 29, 2021
Comments are closed.