Blood pressure dilemma

European health organizations have recommended that people with blood pressure higher than 180/20 be regarded as at risk and followed up by a physician.

PhD candidate Halfdan Pétursson and his colleagues at NTNU have compared this recommendation to medical information from approximately 65 000 residents of Nord-Trøndelag, who have participated in an extensive county-wide health survey called HUNT. Pétursson’s analysis showed that if the recommendations are followed, 74 per cent of the county’s population would have to have regular follow-ups. The European recommendations are both medically and ethically unacceptable, according to the researchers. Norwegian health authorities do not follow the recommendations either.