Antihypertensive drugs used in the treatment of adults ( primary prevention ) with mild hypertension ( systolic BP 140 - 159 mmHg and /or diastolic BP 90 - 99 mmHg ) have not been shown to reduce mortality or morbidity in RCTs .
More RCTs are needed in this prevalent population to know whether the benefits of treatment exceed the harms
BACKGROUND People with no previous cardiovascular events or cardiovascular disease represent a primary prevention population .
The benefits and harms of treating mild hypertension in primary prevention patients are not known at present .
This review examines the existing r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) evidence .
OBJECTIVES PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To quantify the effects of antihypertensive drug therapy on mortality and morbidity in adults with mild hypertension ( systolic blood pressure ( BP ) 140 - 159 mmHg and /or diastolic BP 90 - 99 mmHg ) and without cardiovascular disease .
Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in mild hypertension: the Australian Trial.
The Australian Therapeutic Trial in Mild Hypertension was a controlled trial in which mildly hypertensive patients , aged between 35 and 65 years ( diastolic blood pressure 95 - 109 ) were r and omly assigned to take antihypertensive drugs or matched placebos  for periods of up to 6 years . The overall data showed that the treated group had a lower incidence of both death and of nonfatal cardiovascular events . The differences in the incidence of noncardiovascular deaths did not differ significantly between the two groups . Univariate analysis of possible prognostic factors at the time of entry into the study showed a higher incidence of trial endpoints -- mostly events due to ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease -- in older subjects , men , cigarette smokers and those with higher systolic blood pressures , and in thinner subjects than in others . There was a lower incidence of these events in actively treated persons than in control subjects at each level of incidence of each covariate measured . Treatment benefit was greatest in persons with lower systolic blood pressures and lower serum cholesterol levels . Multivariate regression analyses confirmed that the incidence of trial endpoints increased with age and with systolic blood pressures . There was a higher incidence in smokers than in nonsmokers , especially in those with low body weights . Treatment benefited thin smokers most , and the effects of treatment seemed to be reduced in those with higher serum cholesterol levels . There was a substantial fall in blood pressure in many of the placebo group
Antihypertensive drugs used in the treatment of adults ( primary prevention ) with mild hypertension ( systolic BP 140 - 159 mmHg and /or diastolic BP 90 - 99 mmHg ) have not been shown to reduce mortality or morbidity in RCTs .
More RCTs are needed in this prevalent population to know whether the benefits of treatment exceed the harms
BACKGROUND People with no previous cardiovascular events or cardiovascular disease represent a primary prevention population .
The benefits and harms of treating mild hypertension in primary prevention patients are not known at present .
This review examines the existing r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) evidence .
OBJECTIVES PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To quantify the effects of antihypertensive drug therapy on mortality and morbidity in adults with mild hypertension ( systolic blood pressure ( BP ) 140 - 159 mmHg and /or diastolic BP 90 - 99 mmHg ) and without cardiovascular disease .