AHA pushes back against new blood pressure guidelines

After the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians released new guidelines recommending less-aggressive blood pressure treatments, the American Heart Association (AHA) published a statement vehemently disagreeing with the move.

The guidelines, which were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommend that people 60 and older who have no history of cardiovascular disease should not be treated for hypertension unless they maintain a blood pressure at or above 150/90.

In the statement, AHA President Steven Houser, MD, said following those guidelines could actually increase patients’ risk for major health problems. The AHA and other major health organizations, such as the American College of Cardiology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, currently categorize high blood pressure at 140/90 and higher. Generally, they advise patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep down blood pressure levels before prescribing medications.

"We are concerned that this review does not take into account the extensive body of evidence supporting the benefit of adequate blood pressure control in other patients with hypertension, especially in the prevention of heart failure and stroke, both outcomes that greatly reduce patients’ quality of life,” said Houser, who is also the director of the Cardiovascular Research Center and professor and chair of Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine.

To read the AHA’s full statement, click here.