Perhaps the biggest single change in the new document is the adoption of a single systolic blood pressure target for almost all patients: 140 mmHg, This replaces the previous, more complicated target, which included both systolic and diastolic recommendations for different levels of risk (140/90 mmHg for moderate to low risk patients and 130/80 mmHg target for high risk patients). One of the authors, Robert Fagard, commented: “there was not enough evidence to justify two targets.”
Thirty or 40% of Europeans have high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and premature death.
