Does Education Impact the Success of Blood Pressure Therapy? Study Sheds Light

New Delhi: A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that the benefits of intensive blood pressure management vary significantly based on individuals’ educational levels. The study found that only participants with the highest level of education experienced a substantial reduction in cardiovascular risk from aggressive blood pressure control.

The researchers analysed data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a major randomized study that began in 2010. SPRINT compared intensive blood pressure treatment targeting a systolic level of 120 with standard care targeting 140. The original trial showed that intensive treatment reduced cardiovascular events by 25% and deaths by 27%, influencing updated guidelines in 2017.

In the current study, over 9,000 adults aged 50 and older were grouped by educational attainment: no college, some college or college degree, and education beyond college. Despite similar blood pressure control across all groups, only those with the highest education level saw a significant cardiovascular benefit from intensive treatment. Those with lower education levels did not show the same positive outcomes.

“We determined that intensive systolic blood pressure reduction resulted in similar control of hypertension in SPRINT, regardless of educational attainment. However, only those with the highest education had the benefit of reduced cardiovascular events,” said Dr. Jared W. Magnani, UPMC cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Pitt. “The results suggest that unmeasured social and structural factors beyond pharmacologic management may inform cardiovascular risk. Further studies of social factors may elucidate how we can improve heart health, regardless of educational attainment.”

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.124.037712