In primary prevention , the association of BP-lowering treatment with major cardiovascular events was dependent on baseline systolic BP ( SBP ) .
Conclusions and Relevance Primary preventive BP lowering is associated with reduced risk for death and CVD if baseline SBP is 140 mm Hg or higher .
At lower BP levels , treatment is not associated with any benefit in primary prevention but might offer additional protection in patients with CHD
Importance High blood pressure ( BP ) is the most important risk factor for death and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) worldwide .
The optimal cutoff for treatment of high BP is debated .
Objective To assess the association between BP lowering treatment and death and CVD at different BP levels .
Cardiovascular outcomes in the first trial of antihypertensive therapy guided by self-measured home blood pressure
Hypertension guidelines recommend blood pressure self-measurement at home ( HBP ) , but no previous trial has assessed cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients treated according to HBP . The multicenter Hypertension Objective Treatment Based on Measurement by Electrical Devices of Blood Pressure ( HOMED-BP ; 2001–2010 ) trial involved 3518 patients ( 50 % women ; mean age 59.6 years ) with an untreated systolic/diastolic HBP of 135–179/85–119 mm Hg . In a 2 × 3 design , patients were r and omized to usual control ( 125–134/80–84 mm Hg ( UC ) ) vs. tight control ( < 125/<80 mm Hg ( TC ) ) of HBP and to initiation of drug treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors , angiotensin receptor blockers or calcium channel blockers . During follow-up , a computer algorithm automatically generated treatment recommendations based on HBP . At the last follow-up ( median 5.3 years ) , TC patients used more antihypertensive drugs than UC patients ( 1.82 vs. 1.74 defined daily doses , P=0.045 ) and had a greater HBP reduction ( 21.3/13.1 mm Hg vs. 22.7/13.9 mm Hg , P=0.018/0.020 ) , but they less frequently achieved the lower HBP targets ( 37.4 vs. 63.5 % , P<0.0001 ) . The primary end point , cardiovascular death plus stroke and myocardial infa rct ion , occurred in 25 UC and 26 TC patients ( hazard ratio , 1.02 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.59–1.77 ; P=0.94 ) . Rates were similar ( P⩾0.13 ) in the three drug groups . In all patients combined , the risk of the primary end point independently increased by 41 % ( 6–89 % ; P=0.019 ) and 47 % ( 15–87 % ; P=0.0020 ) for a 1-s.d . increase in baseline ( 12.5 mm Hg ) and follow-up ( 13.2 mm Hg ) systolic HBP . The 5-year risk was minimal ( ⩽1 % ) if on-treatment systolic HBP was 131.6 mm Hg or less . HOMED-BP proved the feasibility of adjusting antihypertensive drug treatment based on HBP and suggests that a systolic HBP level of 130 mm Hg should be an achievable and safe target
In primary prevention , the association of BP-lowering treatment with major cardiovascular events was dependent on baseline systolic BP ( SBP ) .
Conclusions and Relevance Primary preventive BP lowering is associated with reduced risk for death and CVD if baseline SBP is 140 mm Hg or higher .
At lower BP levels , treatment is not associated with any benefit in primary prevention but might offer additional protection in patients with CHD
Importance High blood pressure ( BP ) is the most important risk factor for death and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) worldwide .
The optimal cutoff for treatment of high BP is debated .
Objective To assess the association between BP lowering treatment and death and CVD at different BP levels .