The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Hypertension Guideline and Blood Pressure in Older Adults

Introduction The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association blood pressure guideline redefined hypertension and lowered the blood pressure treatment target. Empirical data on the guideline's impact are needed. Methods Data were analyzed from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study participants who attended baseline pre-guideline (2016–2017) and post-guideline (2018–2019) visits with baseline systolic blood pressure between 120 and 159 mmHg. Participants were grouped according to baseline systolic blood pressure by change in classification under the new guideline as follows: not reclassified (120–129 mmHg), reclassified to Stage 1 hypertension (130–139 mmHg), and reclassified to Stage 2 hypertension (140–159 mmHg). Means and 95% CIs for systolic blood pressure changes between baseline and follow-up, changes in antihypertensive use, and percentages that achieved the post-guideline recommendation (systolic blood pressure <130 mmHg) were calculated. Analyses were performed in 2021–2022. Results Among 2,193 community-dwelling Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities participants aged 71–95 years at baseline, systolic blood pressure changes between baseline and follow-up visits differed among participants not reclassified (+4.1 mmHg, 95% CI=3.0, 5.3 mmHg), reclassified to Stage 1 hypertension (–1.1 mmHg, 95% CI= –2.2, 0.1 mmHg), and reclassified to Stage 2 hypertension (–5.7 mmHg, 95% CI= –6.8, –4.7 mmHg). Antihypertensive use changed from 77.3% to 78.4% (p=0.25) among participants reclassified to Stage 1 hypertension and from 78.3% to 81.4% (p<0.01) among participants reclassified to Stage 2 hypertension. At follow-up, 41.8% of the Stage 1 and 22.4% of the Stage 2 hypertension groups reached the systolic blood pressure <130 mmHg goal. Conclusions There were small decreases in systolic blood pressure and increases in antihypertensive therapy among older adults reclassified to Stage 2 hypertension but not among those reclassified to Stage 1 hypertension by the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline.