Slow Down. Don’t Sprint To More Aggressive BP Treatment

Two editorialists in Annals of Internal Medicine urge caution in interpreting and adopting the findings of the SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial), which last year  showed a benefit for a more aggressive approach to blood pressure therapy. The trial found improved outcomes in  high risk patients treated to a target of of 120 mm…

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Meta-Analysis Gives More Support To Aggressive Blood Pressure Treatment

A large new meta-analysis offers fresh support to the growing movement in favor of more aggressive treatment to lower high blood pressure. The findings are consistent with and extend the results of the recently reported NIH SPRINT trial, which found substantial clinical benefits for a systolic blood pressure target of 120 mm Hg instead of 140…

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Antihypertensive Use Among Pregnant Women on the Rise

Growing numbers of pregnant women are taking antihypertensive drugs that may harm themselves or their babies, according to a new study published in Hypertension. Brian Bateman and colleagues analyzed Medicaid data from more than 1.1 million pregnant women. Overall, 4.4% of the women received antihypertensive medications at some point during their pregnancy. From 2000 to 2007…

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