High blood pressure should be treated at 130/80 mm Hg, rather than 140/90, according to findings from a landmark study that support a key change in the 2017 Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines .
The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology announced the update along with the new guidelines, the first comprehensive high blood pressure guidelines in more than a decade.
The changes were informed by results from the NIH-funded Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), which was designed to determine the best way to treat high blood pressure in adults aged ≥ 50 years who are at high risk for heart disease. The study included > 9,300 participants and remains the largest of its kind to date to examine the effects on cardiovascular and kidney disease of maintaining systolic blood pressure at a lower than previously recommended level.
