Are Guidelines for Treating High Blood Pressure Misleading?

Treating high blood pressure with drugs has been shown to save lives – over and over again. And poor control of hypertension is linked with a greater chance of stroke or heart failure. So ensuring that doctors prescribe, and patients take, blood pressure medication is a good thing, right?

Well, not according to an article by Seattle Times staff writer, Duff Williams. He believes that Big Pharma is behind the guidelines issued by NIH and WHO guidelines on hypertension, which define high blood pressure and recommend how it should be treated.

In 2003 new guidelines were issued that introduce the concept of ‘prehypertension’, describing blood pressure levels that are not as high as those defined as ‘hypertension’, but which are still associated with increased heart disease. Recognizing this risk, and treating it, is clearly a way to decrease the chances of having a serious cardiac event.

Duff Williams, however, sees this as a move by Big Pharma to increase the potential market for their new antihypertensive drugs. And the doctors who write the guidelines are the unwitting tools of Big Pharma in this scheme. Actually, Duff Williams goes further. He suggests that the original guidelines were created “behind closed doors” by a committee who “made sweeping statements endorsing the safety of newer drugs”, pointing out that 17 of the 18 members had “close financial ties to drug firms”.

Lest anyone with ‘prehypertension’ – 120-140 mmHg systolic, or 80-90 mmHg diastolic – feels tempted to ignore this warning sign, they should realize that:

1. Prehypertension, untreated, will almost certainly progress to hypertension

2. Prehypertension is quite likely to respond to lifestyle changes – more exercise, better nutrition (more fiber), and weight reduction

3. In many cases, a diuretic (water pill) is all that’s needed to control prehypertension; and diuretics are very cheap, and have a great safety record.

You can read more about high blood pressure on our Disease Digest pages.