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Should we treat high-normal blood pressure?
Karen Rowland Yeo1, Wilfred W Yeo
1Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Division of Clinical Sciences (S), University of Sheffield, UK. k.r.yeo@sheffield.ac.uk
Journal of Hypertension
|October 3, 2002
Summary
High-normal blood pressure increases cardiovascular disease risk in English adults. Targeting high-risk individuals with blood pressure-lowering treatment could benefit 2.5% of the population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular epidemiology
- Public health
Background:
- High-normal blood pressure is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Identifying individuals with high-normal blood pressure who are at high CVD risk is crucial for preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of CVD and high CVD risk among English adults with high-normal blood pressure.
- To estimate the proportion of individuals with high-normal blood pressure who require intervention.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 12,341 English adults (aged 18-80 years) in 1998.
- Analysis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and 10-year predicted cardiovascular event risk (≥20%) in individuals with high-normal blood pressure.
Main Results:
- 19.6% of participants had high-normal blood pressure.
- 5.3% had existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and 7.6% had a 10-year CVD risk of ≥20%.
- Individuals with high-normal blood pressure showed higher CVD and diabetes incidence and predicted risk compared to those with normal blood pressure.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with high-normal blood pressure and high CVD risk should be targeted for blood pressure-lowering treatments.
- Intervention in this group could involve an additional 2.5% of the adult English population.