New research has found that these common high blood pressure medications could actually be raising patients’ blood pressure.
A new study out of Yeshiva University has found that these blood pressure medications may actually raise patients’ blood pressure and not lower it.
The study was published in the American Journal of Hypertension, and the team behind the study performed an analysis on 945 patients that enrolled in a workplace antihypertensive treatment program in New York City from 1981 to 1998.
According to the results of the study, all of the patients had systolic blood pressure (SBP) of at least 140 mmHg.
Each of the patients was given blood pressure medication that was either a diuretic or a calcium channel blocker touted as “V” drugs that lower a patient’s blood volume.
Some patients were given “R” drugs instead of “V” drugs. “R” drugs are beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, which lowers the levels of an enzyme called renin that is secreted by the kidneys, which is a main component in regulating blood pressure.
The results indicated that the renin test allowed for a more accurate prediction of a patient experiencing a “pressor response”, which is a large increase in the SBP.
According to the results, 7.7% of the patients involved in the study showed a pressor response, with the highest percentage of pressure responses being 16%, and occurred in patients that had low renin levels due to being administered R drugs.