Intensive BP Control Beneficial in Hypertensive Individuals Regardless of BMI

According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, intensive blood pressure control is an effective strategy for reducing blood pressure in hypertensive individuals who are at risk for adverse cardiovascular events, regardless of body mass index (BMI).

The authors of this study sought to analyze data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) and evaluate whether a significant interaction between BMI and intensive blood pressure control had an impact on clinical cardiovascular outcomes.

The study sample included 9284 individuals enrolled in SPRINT with an average age of 67.9 ± 9.4 years and a mean BMI of 29.9 ± 5.8 kg/m2. The study authors used Cox proportional hazard models to determine the association between BMI and the trial’s primary outcome data (including myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, heart failure, or death). Hazard models were also used to assess the interaction between BMI and intensive blood pressure control vs standard blood pressure control on primary outcomes.

The study results showed that BMI had a slight negative correlation with age, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and 10-year cardiovascular risk, and it had a slight positive correlation with diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and estimated glomerular filtration rate.

In adjusted analysis, higher BMI was associated with a higher risk for cardiac events (hazard ratio, 1.11 per kg/m2>30; 95% CI, 1.02-1.22; P =.02). The overall impact of intensive blood pressure control led to beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes across the spectrum of BMI models.

The authors of this study suggest that intensive blood pressure control should be considered as a generalized blood pressure reduction strategy for increased risk individuals regardless of their BMI.

Reference                                                                                                                       

Hendren NS, Neeland IJ, Vongpatanasin W, et al. Intensive blood pressure control and body size. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018; 72(11):1317- 1318. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2018.06.058