HIGH blood pressure remains a common condition that in creases the risk of developing serious health problems.
People with hypertension often use a single treatment, or monotherapy, to lower their blood pressure.
A new study suggests that using a combination of medications right away may be a more effective treatment for high blood pressure than initially using a single medication.
Hypertension is highly prevalent. In the United States, an estimated 45%Trusted Source of adults have high blood pressure.
Due to the health risks associated with the condition, scientists are constantly researching and developing new treatment options to lower blood pressure effectively.
A new study, which appears in The LancetTrusted Source, tests a novel medication regimen. Specifically, the researchers tested a single pill that contains ultra-low doses of four different blood pressure-lowering medications.
The authors conclude that this four-in-one pill may be more effective than a single medication in lowering blood pressure.
As the National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteTrusted Source notes, blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure of blood flowing through the arteries of the body. Blood pressure is measured using two readings: the systolic and diastolic pressures.
The systolic pressure is the blood pressure when the heart ventricles contract to pump blood out to the body.
The blood pressure when the ventricles of the heart relax to fill up with blood is called diastolic pressure.
A normalTrusted Source systolic blood pressure reading is less than 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), and a normal diastolic reading is below 80 mm Hg.
Doctors define hypertension as involving a systolic reading of 130 mm Hg or higher, or a diastolic reading of 80 mm Hg or above.
Hypertension treatment often includes both lifestyle modifications and medication. Research is ongoing to develop the best medication options to treat high blood pressure, including combinations of medications. Typically, when someone has hypertension, a doctor prescribes only one type of medication.
Then, if this is ineffective, they may add another medication or switch to a different single medication.
The authors of the recent study hypothesized that starting people on a single pill that contained low doses of four different blood pressure-lowering medications might be more effective than them using only one type of medication.
