New Blood Pressure Guidelines Mean More People Need Treatment

Doctors should begin treatment for patients with blood pressure above 130 over 80, according to new hypertension guidelines released by the American Heart Association this month.  Previously, the recommendation to begin treatment was 140/90.

“Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in America and hypertension is one of the key risk factors that drives that mortality from heart disease and from stroke,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist with the Cleveland Clinic. “We need to do a better job, and these guidelines push the medical community to treat high blood pressure more intensively.”

The new standard set by the AHA and the American College of Cardiology means 46 percent of American adults would qualify as having high blood pressure.  Dr. Nissen said the rate is even higher for seniors.

“People above 70 or 75, it’s close to 80 percent would meet the definition of hypertension,” said Nissen. “Unfortunately, we’re overweight. We eat too much salt. We don’t exercise enough. And this disorder of hypertension has become more prevalent over the years, and we’ve now gotta try to reverse that trend.”

Nissen said losing weight and eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in salt plus exercise can make a big difference in lowering blood pressure.  Speaking on the WVIZ/PBS show “ideas,” Dr. Nissen added that drinking less alcohol can help too.

This is the first comprehensive change in the hypertension guidelines since 2003.