Journal article icon

Journal article

Management of blood pressure in heart failure

Abstract:
Hypertension is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure and most drugs that have demonstrated to improve prognosis in this population have the potential to reduce blood pressure. Nonetheless, the relationship between blood pressure and clinical outcomes and the relevance of blood pressure reduction in heart failure remains unclear. This narrative review summarises the evidence currently available to guide blood pressure treatment in this patient group and highlights key questions for further research. In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, guidelines consensually recommend treating hypertension with drugs that have compelling indications in heart failure, with a target blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg. In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, guidelines acknowledge that the optimal treatment strategy remains unclear and thus recommend adopting a similar treatment strategy to patients with reduced ejection fraction. In any case, low blood pressure should not deter uptitration of drugs otherwise indicated to improve prognosis in heart failure, provided that patients tolerate drugs without adverse events. In the absence of evidence for modification of treatment efficacy and safety by baseline blood pressure, it is likely that treatment may actually lead to higher absolute risk reduction in patients with the lowest blood pressure. Special considerations and treatment adjustments are needed in the elderly as well as in patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease and atrial fibrillation. More evidence is needed on blood pressure management in patients with heart failure in general, in whom the increasing burden of multimorbidity adds further complexity to treatment.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

Actions


Access Document


Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1136/heartjnl-2018-314438

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
Medical Sciences Division
Department:
Women’s & Reproductive Health
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
RDM
Sub department:
RDM Cardiovascular Medicine
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-9895-1493


Publisher:
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal:
Heart More from this journal
Volume:
105
Issue:
8
Pages:
589-595
Publication date:
2019-01-23
Acceptance date:
2018-12-21
DOI:
EISSN:
1468-201X
ISSN:
1355-6037
Pmid:
30674544


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
pubs:966095
UUID:
uuid:df662096-7023-49d5-99de-80e5d6824ff0
Local pid:
pubs:966095
Source identifiers:
966095
Deposit date:
2019-01-28

Terms of use



Views and Downloads






If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record

TO TOP