Barbershop intervention cuts blood pressure in black men

The intervention was safe and well tolerated, with no adverse events. A total of three cases of reversible acute kidney injury occurred in the intervention group that were related to indapamide and resolved when it was discontinued.

“This [study] is a home run,” discussant Eileen Handberg, MD, said in a press conference, “This is taking care where patients live; this is ‘high-touch’ medicine,” she said. Also, the 9-mm Hg improvement in the control group was comparable with improvements in many previous blood pressure control trials, she noted.

Dr. Victor said he plans to expand the study by establishing similar protocols in other communities. Additional next steps for research include extending the current study for another 6 months, expanding the research criteria to include men with mild hypertension, and conducting a cost analysis, he said.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others. Dr. Victor had no financial conflicts to disclose. Dr. Handberg disclosed relationships with multiple companies including Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead Sciences, Ionis, and Relypsa.