People with diabetes who delay getting blood pressure to target may be more likely to have heart attacks and strokes than their counterparts who manage it promptly, a recent study suggests.
A study conducted by Dr. Sridharan Raghavan of University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, examined data on over 43,000 participants. Participants were all people with diabetes who started treatment for high blood pressure between 2002 and 2007.
Those who waited until their blood pressure was more elevated before beginning treatment were 10% more likely to have events like fatal heart attacks and strokes.
Raghavan stressed that lowering blood pressure in people with diabetes with hypertension “can mitigate some of the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” The study indicates that people with diabetes may have improved outcomes with a lower systolic blood pressure target than the ADA target of 140 mmHg. The American Heart Associations and the American College of Cardiology’s guidelines are to start treatment when systolic blood pressure is above 130 mmHg.
Using the lower standard of 130 systolic instead of starting treatment at the higher 140 systolic standard may result in fewer deaths from heart attacks and strokes.
Read the full study here.
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