In newly identified hypertensive patients, the average time per year spent with target blood pressure (BP) is sub-optimal. However, the longer the time spent at target BP, the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, according to the Time at BP Target Late-Breaking Clinical Trial presented Nov. 13 at AHA 2017 in Anaheim, CA.

Mar Pujades-Rodriguez, MBBS, PhD, et al., looked at 169,082 individuals with newly identified high BP who were free of cardiovascular disease for a median follow up of 4.9 years.

Results showed that the median time per year spent by newly identified hypertensive patients at BP targets was 2.8 months. Further, only 0.6 percent of patients had BP targets ≥11 months. In addition, compared to individuals with an average time per year at BP targets of 3-5.9 months, patients 6-8.9 months, and 9-11.9 months had 27 percent and 30 percent lower odds of the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stroke (adjusted odds ratios, 0.73 and 0.70 respectively). The researchers add that a lower value of 0 and <3 months, increased the odds of disease by 4.5 and 1.8.

The researchers explain that "time spent with target levels could be a better BP control measures than others, such as achieving BP control status within the first year, mean BP, and visit-to-visit change in BP." They conclude that their study "supports the importance of efforts to sustain BP control over time."

Keywords: AHA17, AHA Annual Scientific Sessions, Blood Pressure, Blood Pressure Determination, Risk, Cardiovascular Diseases, Asian Continental Ancestry Group

< Back to Listings