Lowering systolic blood pressure below 120 does not appear to provide additional benefit for patients, researchers have found. [s]Science Daily[/s] quotes, Carlos Rodriguez of [b]Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre[/b] and lead author of the study as saying: ‘Frequently we treat patients’ blood pressure to the lowest it will go, thinking that is what’s best. Our observational study found that treating to low pressures doesn’t provide any benefit to patients with regard to reducing risk of dangerous heart events like heart attack, heart failure and stroke.’ Rodriguez said that his study was not a clinical trial and its results need to be confirmed; noting that a large clinical trial under way called SPRINT should either confirm or refute the findings.
[link url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140616203935.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_health+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Health+News%29]Full Science Daily report[/link]
[link url=http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1881014]JAMA Internal Medicine abstract[/link]