ACC/AHA Blood Pressure Guidelines: How Will They Affect CVD Event Rates?

Achieving and maintaining the 2017 ACC/AHA blood pressure (BP) goals could prevent over 3 million cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in 10 years, according to the results of a recent study.

The ACC/AHA guidelines, released in November 2017, lowered the hypertension threshold from 140/90 mm Hg to 130/80 mm Hg.

The authors of the recent study sought to estimate the number of CVD events that could be prevented and treatment-related serious adverse events incurred over 10 years among adults with hypertension after achieving 2017 ACC/AHA guideline-recommended BP goals vs current BP, achieving 2003 Seventh Joint National Committee Report BP goals (< 140/90 mm Hg), and achieving 2014 Eighth Joint National Committee panel member report BP goals (140/90 mg Hg for patients aged 60 years and younger and 150/90 mm Hg for patients aged >60 years).

They estimated population sizes using the 2011 to 2014 National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys. Rates of CVD events were estimated using the REGARDS (REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke) study, weighted to the US population.

Overall, achieving and maintaining 2017 ACC/AHA guideline goals could prevent 3 million (uncertainty range [UR] 1.1-5.1 million), 0.5 million (UR 0.2-0.7 million), or 1.4 million (UR 0.6-2 million) CVD events compared with current BP levels, achieving 2003 Seventh Joint National Committee Report goals, or achieving 2014 Eighth Joint National Committee goals, respectively.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Bress AP, Colantonio LD, Cooper R, et al. Potential cardiovascular disease events prevented with adoption of the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association blood pressure guideline [published online November 19, 2018]. Circulation. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.035640.