|
Some
Hypertension Patients
Can Try Halting Medications
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - People with hypertension (high blood pressure)
who have their blood pressure under control may be able to try
stopping their medication--under the supervision of their doctor--without
experiencing a return of their high blood pressure, researchers
report.
However, this
seems to be true only for those patients with mildly elevated
pressure who are willing to make substantial lifestyle changes,
including cutting back on salt and losing weight, according to
Dr. Michael A. Weber, an editor of the American Journal of Hypertension
from Downstate Medical College in New York.
``Those patients
who conscientiously lowered their weight and reduced their salt
intake while receiving treatment were most likely to keep their
blood pressure normal when treatment was stopped. This suggests
that normal blood pressure may be at least partly in your own
hands,'' Weber told Reuters Health.
One in 10
adults take medication for hypertension, and once treatment is
begun, doctors are reluctant to discontinue the therapy, according
to Dr. Mark Nelson and colleagues from Monash Medical School,
Alfred Hospital in Prahran, Australia. This is because high blood
pressure is dangerous, increasing the risk of stroke and heart
attack.
Recognizing
that hypertension might be overdiagnosed and that unnecessary
treatment is costly, the investigators reviewed a dozen studies
to determine what factors might predict the safe and successful
withdrawal of high blood pressure medications.
Three consistent
predictors of success emerged from the analysis, according to
the report published in the February issue of the American Journal
of Hypertension. First, patients whose blood pressure was lower
before, during, and after treatment were more likely to have normal
blood pressure a year after discontinuing their medications.
Second, the
researchers note, withdrawal of medications was most likely to
succeed for those patients who had required the fewest medications
at the lowest doses to control their blood pressure in the first
place.
Third, those
patients who followed recommendations for controlling their weight
and lowering their salt intake were more likely to keep their
blood pressure within normal levels after stopping their medications,
the results indicate.
When withdrawal
failed, high blood pressure was most likely to return during the
first 6 months, the authors report, though the risk was still
there after a year or more.
``On the basis
of this information,'' Nelson and colleagues conclude, ``a trial
of withdrawal of antihypertensive medication might be recommended
for patients who have mildly elevated, uncomplicated blood pressure
that is well controlled on a single agent, and who are motivated
and likely to accept lifestyle changes.''
Weber also
suggested that patients with newly diagnosed hypertension discuss
the diagnosis with their physicians.
According
to Weber, ``20% to 25% of patients diagnosed with hypertension
may not really have the condition. It's important that the diagnosis
be based on several blood pressure readings during more than one
doctor visit, especially for mild to moderate hypertension.''
SOURCE:
American Journal of Hypertension 2001;14:98-105.
Reference
Source 89
For
more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
|
