Hypertension Targeting 120 mmHg: survival benefit after 3 years, but high renal risk.

In a randomised trial, reducing the systolic blood pressure target to around 120 mmHg led to a reduction in all-cause mortality compared to a tar- get of around 135 mmHg: after about 3 years, 3.3% of patients in the "inten- sive" treatment group had died versus 4.5% in the "standard" treatment group. The trial was not blinded, however.The patients included were aged 50 years or older, at high risk of cardiovascular events, often overweight but not dia- betic, and had no history of stroke or symptomatic heart failure. This survival benefit was accompan- ied by a twofold increase in serious adverse effects, in particular renal effects, and cannot be extrapolated to the majority of hypertensive patients.