At the beginning of the study, 60 percent of the participants had high blood pressure, Randolph said. The median blood pressure at the start was 125/79 mm Hg.
“We found that every 10 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure was associated with a 12 percent increase in the risk of death and a 7 percent increase in the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure,” she said.
Fonarow recommended these target numbers for optimal health: “The ideal for heart and brain health is a systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure less than 80 mm Hg,” he said.
Recently, the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), of which 30 percent of patients were black, showed that aiming for a systolic pressure of less than 120 mm Hg saved lives, reducing deaths from any cause by 27 percent, Fonarow said.
Dr. Stacey Rosen is vice president of women’s health at Northwell Health’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y. “This study highlights the need to do more work on where treatment goals should be,” she said.
“We cannot underestimate the importance of pushing blood pressure lower in order to minimize cardiovascular risk,” Rosen said.
High blood pressure is manageable with a heart-healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, being physically active, not smoking and, for some, taking blood pressure-lowering medication, the researchers said.
The report was published online Dec. 7 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
SOURCES: Tiffany Randolph, M.D., cardiologist, Cone Health Medical Group HeartCare, Greensboro, N.C.; Gregg Fonarow, M.D., spokesman, American Heart Association, and professor, cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles; Stacey Rosen, M.D., vice president, women’s health, Northwell Health’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Dec. 7, 2016, Journal of the American Heart Association