Cardiovascular risks associated with diastolic blood pressure and isolated diastolic hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension is a major reversible risk factor for cardiovascular complications. According to recent guidelines, hypertension can be subdivided into isolated diastolic, isolated systolic, and systolic and diastolic mixed hypertension using proposed thresholds of various blood pressure components. In the present article, we reviewed the association of cardiovascular outcomes with diastolic blood pressure versus systolic blood pressure and with isolated diastolic hypertension versus systolic and mixed hypertension in observational prospective cohort studies and large-scale individual data-based meta-analysis. Blood pressure was measured either in the clinic or at home or under ambulatory conditions for 24 h in cohort studies. To illustrate the treatment effect of diastolic blood pressure lowering, we also reviewed randomized placebo-controlled outcome trials in diastolic hypertension.

Conclusions: The risks conferred by diastolic and systolic blood pressure, irrespective of the methods of blood pressure measurement, are age-dependent. Diastolic blood pressure and isolated diastolic hypertension drive coronary risk in younger subjects, whereas systolic blood pressure is the predominant risk indicator in older people. Reversibility of the risk by diastolic BP lowering treatment in randomized trials confirms that diastolic hypertension is a risk factor that must be treated.