Lowering the threshold for drug prescription could reduce numbers of stroke and heart attacks GARO/REX FEATURESMillions of adults in the UK could be prescribed high blood pressure pills as the health watchdog redraws its guidelines to prevent early deaths. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been considering evidence from the US, where the advice has been changed to recommend that millions more take drugs to cut the risk of heart attack and strokes. The UK advice, due early next year, is expected to lower the threshold at which doctors diagnose and treat high blood pressure, meaning that patients in their thirties and forties may be advised to take medication. Trials found that aggressively using drugs to lower blood pressure hugely reduced the risk of death among people over 50. High blood pressure greatly increases the risk of…

Source: The Times March 09, 2018 01:07 UTC