Intensive lowering of blood pressure to a systolic target < 120 mm Hg reduced cardiovascular events among individuals at high-risk for cardiovascular disease compared with standard treatment using a target < 140 mm Hg in the ESPRIT trial.
"Intensive blood pressure lowering treatment targeting a systolic pressure below 120 mm Hg for 3 years resulted in a 12% lower incidence of major vascular events, a 39% lower cardiovascular mortality, and 21% lower all-cause mortality than the standard treatment targeting a systolic pressure below 140 mm Hg," reported lead investigator, Jing Li, MD, director of the department of preventive medicine at the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing, China.
The trial included patients with diabetes and those with a history of stroke, two important groups that were excluded in the previous SPRINT trial of intensive blood pressure lowering. Results suggested that the benefit of intensive blood pressure lowering extends to these groups.
The results translate into the prevention of 14 major vascular events and eight deaths for every 1000 individuals are treated for 3 years to a target systolic pressure < 120 mm Hg rather than < 140 mm Hg, at the cost of an additional three patients experiencing the serious adverse event of syncope, Li said.
