Millions of U.S. adults have hypertension (high blood pressure) and prehypertension (borderline high blood pressure ). Hypertension is classified as systolic blood pressure of 140 or higher and/or diastolic blood pressure of 90 or higher. Prehypertension is classified as systolic blood pressure of 120-139 and/or diastolic blood pressure of 80-89. Prehypertension can progress rapidly to hypertension. Now research reports that early treatment with blood pressure medication can slow the progression of prehypertension to hypertension.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, investigated whether blood pressure medication can prevent or postpone hypertension. Researchers from the University of Michigan, administered either the antihypertension drug candesartan or a placebo (no drug) daily to 772 patients with prehypertension, for two years. After the two years, the blood pressure medication was stopped and all of the patients were administered the placebo for another two years.
The researchers found that during the first two years, only 13.6 percent of the drug group became hypertensive, compared with 40.4 percent of the placebo group. However, over the next two years, blood pressures significantly increased in both groups, where 53.2 percent of the original drug group became hypertensive, compared with 63 percent of the original placebo group.
"Over a period of four years, stage 1 hypertension developed in nearly two thirds of patients with untreated prehypertension (the placebo group)," the study authors write. "Treatment of prehypertension with candesartan appeared to be well tolerated and reduced the risk of incident hypertension during the study period. Thus, treatment of prehypertension appears to be feasible."
The study results suggest that millions of prehypertensive adults may benefit from antihypertension drug treatment.
REFERENCES:
1. Julius S. Feasibility of treating prehypertension with an angiotensin-receptor blocker. N Engl J Med 2006 Apr 20;354(16):1685-97. Epub 2006 Mar 14.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on October 14, 2006 01:09 PM
