Does a lower blood pressure goal cut the risk of heart and kidney diseases, stroke, and cognitive decline?
The National Institutes of Health plans to add about 1,750 participants over the age of 75 to its upcoming Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) to determine whether a lower blood pressure range in older adults will reduce cardiovascular and kidney diseases, age-related cognitive decline, and dementia. “No large-scale clinical trial has examined the impact of aggressively lowering systolic blood pressure among older adults,” said Susan B. Shurin, M.D., acting director of the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will fund the first two years of the study expansion — called SPRINT-Senior — for $12.7 million. The NIH is providing $30.1 million for the remaining six years of the project. The NHLBI is the lead NIH funder of the study, which is also supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the N
