The impact of intensive blood pressure management on cardiovascular events and mortality rates differs significantly based on individuals’ levels of educational attainment, as revealed in a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and the University of Texas at Tyler.
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study delved into the data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a comprehensive randomized controlled trial that commenced in 2010. The trial compared the outcomes of aggressive blood pressure management against the standard care of that time. The results of SPRINT demonstrated that lowering systolic blood pressure to 120, rather than the previous recommendation of 140, led to a 25% reduction in cardiovascular events and a 27% decrease in mortality rates. These groundbreaking findings played a pivotal role in shaping new clinical guidelines in 2017.
In this latest study, the researchers focused on analyzing the SPRINT cohort comprising over 9,000 hypertensive adults aged 50 and above. They categorized the participants based on their educational achievements and compared the outcomes among the different groups. Surprisingly, the study found that while blood pressure control was consistent across all educational levels, the benefits of intensive systolic blood pressure control varied significantly.
Participants with the highest level of educational attainment experienced a notable two-fold decrease in cardiovascular risk as a result of intensive blood pressure management. Conversely, individuals with lower educational levels did not observe significant benefits in terms of cardiovascular outcomes. This suggests that there may be unmeasured social and structural factors beyond pharmacological interventions that influence cardiovascular risk.
Dr. Jared W. Magnani, a UPMC cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Pitt, highlighted the importance of further research into these social determinants of health to improve cardiovascular outcomes for individuals across all educational backgrounds. Understanding these factors could potentially lead to more effective strategies for enhancing heart health and reducing cardiovascular risks.
For more details on this study, you can refer to the research article titled “Educational Attainment and the Effect of Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SPRINT Study” published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
This research sheds light on the intricate interplay between educational attainment and cardiovascular health, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that considers social determinants alongside medical interventions to achieve optimal outcomes for individuals of all educational backgrounds.
