Visit to visit Systolic BP variability may help predict cardiovascular outcomes

Written By : Jacinthlyn Sylvia |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2024-02-09T09:15:34+05:30 | Updated On 9 Feb 2024 12:04 PM IST

A recent study published in the European Heart Journal highlights the critical role of visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability (BPV) as a predictor of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. This study was conducted as an extension of the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure-Lowering Arm (ASCOT-BPLA) in the UK, which spanned over two decades to evaluate the long-term impact of blood pressure (BP) control and variability.

The findings suggest that BPV significantly influences CV events, independent of mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and emphasizes its importance even in individuals with well-controlled BP. The study closely followed 8,580 hypertensive participants that underscore the necessity of addressing BP variability along with mean SBP for effective cardiovascular risk management.

During the follow-up period of 21 years, the participants on amlodipine-based treatment expressed a reduced risk of stroke, total CV events, total coronary events and atrial fibrillation when compared to those on atenolol-based treatment. The outcomes of this study challenge the previous assumptions about the primary determinants of CV risk by highlighting the significance of considering BPV as the factor to assess cardiovascular health. The results suggest that interventions that target BPV may offer substantial benefits in reducing the incidence of CV events in strokes and atrial fibrillation.

This research underlines the need for personalized treatment strategies that not only focus on achieving target SBP levels but also address BPV to optimize cardiovascular outcomes. This finds significant implications for clinical practice that help emphasizing the importance of comprehensive BP management in reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

Gupta, A., Whiteley, W. N., Godec, T., Rostamian, S., Ariti, C., Mackay, J., Whitehouse, A., Janani, L., Poulter, N. R., Sever, P. S., Aldegather, J., Collier, D., Delles, C., Dyker, A., Eaton, M., Heller, S., Hildick-Smith, D., Kristinsson, A., … Lip, G. (2024). Legacy benefits of blood pressure treatment on cardiovascular events are primarily mediated by improved blood pressure variability: the ASCOT trial. In European Heart Journal. Oxford University Press (OUP). https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad814

European Heart Journalblood pressure variabilitycardiovascular outcomes

Source : European Heart Journal

Jacinthlyn Sylvia

Neuroscience Masters graduate

Jacinthlyn Sylvia, a Neuroscience Master's graduate from Chennai has worked extensively in deciphering the neurobiology of cognition and motor control in aging. She also has spread-out exposure to Neurosurgery from her Bachelor’s. She is currently involved in active Neuro-Oncology research. She is an upcoming neuroscientist with a fiery passion for writing. Her news cover at Medical Dialogues feature recent discoveries and updates from the healthcare and biomedical research fields. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751