Lowering blood pressure below current targets benefits a wide range of patients

Using intensive treatment to lower blood pressure below currently recommended targets significantly reduces rates of major cardiovascular events like stroke and heart attack among a wide range of high-risk patients, according to a large meta-analysis involving almost 45000 individuals, published in The Lancet.

A recent US study in patients with diabetes cast doubt on the benefits of intensive blood pressure lowering. But this analysis of all trials shows benefits in a range of patients, not just those with diabetes.

"A key finding was the consistency of findings across major patient groups – those with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal disease and also those with just hypertension," explains co-author Professor Jicheng Lv, from Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.