The down side of blood pressure meds

Prior to the late 20^th century, physicians generally prescribed medicines only to patients with symptoms of disease. High blood pressure was the first condition for which regular treatment was started on people without symptoms. The treatment continues: people with no health complaints are given a diagnosis of hypertension and prescribed treatment based, usually, on unrealistic measurements (as I discussed in last week’s post). Thus, many healthy people who were never destined to develop symptoms or die from hypertension are needlessly treated.

Being unnecessarily treated for high blood pressure wouldn’t be bad if it weren’t for the side effects (not to mention cost and bother). Seventy percent of people over 70 take blood pressure medicine, which causes dizziness and is thus implicated in falls. In fact, a study performed in 2014 found that, among older people, the risk of serious injuries from falls was significantly higher for those who took hypertension drugs than those who did not. (As I mentioned in the cholesterol section, trips to the emergency room because of falls has increased by fifty percent in the last 10 years.)

Even more interesting is a thirty-year study of residents of a retirement home in California. It began in 1981, when residents completed surveys about their health and life styles. In 2003, researchers discovered the original records and also found that 1,900 of the original survey takers were still alive and in their 90’s or older. The researchers tested about 1,600 of this group. (You may have seen this on 60 Minutes.) Among other things, the study revealed that having high blood pressure seemed to benefit those who are over the age of 90. Not only that, they found that high blood pressure and high cholesterol reduces your chances of dementia.

A word about salt intake: My husband and I don’t worry about eating too much salt. Lots of studies have failed to find strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure. One study even found that the less sodium people consumed the greater their risk was of dying from heart disease. At any rate, our bodies strive to maintain a stable concentration of sodium in our blood: if we eat salt, we get thirsty and drink more water and retain more water.  In this case, our blood pressure might increase temporarily until our kidneys eliminate both salt and water. If we cut our salt intake, our bodies respond by releasing an enzyme and a hormone that increases blood pressure.

I just trust my body to work it out.

Next week: untrustworthy research studies.

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