Blood Pressure Medications Linked To Increased Variability

Researchers are encouraging physicians to prescribe other classes of blood pressure medications to patients that show a decrease in risk of mortality rates as a result of this study findings, which helped to identify other medications that produce more consistent blood pressure and better patient mortality outcome data. Researchers explain that those medications include ace inhibitors, thiazide diuretics, angiotensin receptor blockers, and calcium channel blockers, patients which are using other types of medications have increased risk of death.

Blood pressure being exerted against artery walls as the heart beats is indicated by systolic blood pressure readings. Normal blood pressure is is than 120/80, with elevated blood pressure being between 120-129/80, stage one and two high blood pressure is anything over 130/80 according to the American Heart Association.

Patients with large variances in blood pressure readings between doctor visits have been associated with an increased risk of death by prior studies. In this study to ascertain if certain classes of medications are able to reduce patient visit to visit blood pressure variability researchers investigated connections between blood pressure medications and variations in blood pressure readings.

Upwards of 10,500 patients using at least 7 different types of blood pressure medications recorded from Jan 2007 to Dec 2011 and were followed for a 5 year study period tracking the range of variances in blood pressure measurements and the class of medication being used by each patient ending in 2016.

Researchers suggest that hypertension patients should be aware what their blood pressure is, and work with their physician to explore options if there is a problem to reduce possible variances, and whenever possible avoid alpha 2 agonist and alpha blockers types of medication that show increases in variances.

Roughly one in three people in USA are affected by hypertension. Systolic blood pressure in most people will rise with age due to increased incidence of cardiac and vascular disease, long term build up of plaque, and increased stiffness of large arteries, according to the American Heart Association.  The variables which affect blood pressure measurements make finding ways to accurately measure blood pressure and control variables important in order to help better identify more effective treatments for hypertension. It is recommended that individuals control their environment when measuring blood pressure to reduce additional variables which may influence measurement such as sitting or laying down for 15 minute prior to measuring, avoid stress or things that may raise blood pressure, and use a cuff that fits properly.

Next phase according to the researchers is to investigate other medications that are proven to reduce blood pressure measurement variability and evaluate methods for taking evidence based blood pressure measurements.