Early Hypertension Treatment Leads to Longer-Term Benefit
Starting blood pressure-lowering therapy within a month of being diagnosed with hypertension results in better long-term blood pressure control, researchers report. They analyzed data on 15,422 people (mean age 56) with previously undiagnosed hypertension who were followed for up to 42 months. They found that after six months, 57.4% of the participants who started treatment with one antihypertensive drug within a month of their diagnosis achieved blood pressure below 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), compared with 47.5% of those who started treatment later. At 42 months, those who started therapy early were 19% more likely to achieve blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg and 14% more likely to reach blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg, compared with those who started treatment later. Yet, despite the benefit of early treatment with one antihypertensive drug, more than 30% of the participants still had uncontrolled blood pressure at three years, “indicating a need for more frequent treatment intensification,” the study authors cautioned (Hypertension, June 2025).
