Only about 50 percent of all people with high blood pressure reach these goals. And because black people are more likely to have high blood pressure and suffer from its consequences, such as stroke, heart attack and kidney failure, “there is concern that raising the recommended blood pressure goals in this population may have unintended consequences,” Randolph said.
Moreover, even though the increased risk of death from high blood pressure was smaller among people 60 or older, they may actually benefit most by having well-controlled blood pressure, as their overall risk of death is higher than those under 60, she said.
Dr. Gregg Fonarow is a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. He said, “These findings provide further evidence of the potential harms in terms of increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and premature deaths that resulted from any physician or patient that followed the Joint National Committee blood pressure guidelines.”
These guidelines have been controversial, Fonarow added. Rather than tightening blood pressure goals to be consistent with all clinical trial evidence in adults 60 and over, they actually loosened the goal. Major professional societies, such as the American Heart Association and others, have refused to endorse these guidelines, he said.
The new study included more than 5,200 people enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study between 2000 and 2011 in Jackson, Miss.
All of the study participants were black and their average age was 56. Nearly two-thirds were women. Participants were followed for an average of seven to nine years.