The Study
Lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg versus less than 140 mm Hg in patients with high cardiovascular risk with and without diabetes or previous stroke: an open-label, blinded-outcome, randomised trial.
This study gave two groups of people with high heart risk different blood pressure targets and saw who had fewer heart problems. Because they were randomly assigned, we can guess that the lower target caused the better results — but we can't be 100% sure because the patients and doctors knew which group they were in.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Doctors tested if pushing blood pressure lower than usual helps prevent heart problems in people already at high risk.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 568 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The benefit is real but comes with a trade-off: fewer heart events but more fainting, which could be dangerous.
- 2People with blood pressure target under 120 had 12% fewer heart attacks, strokes, or heart failures, but 3 times more fainting spells compared to those with target under 140.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Lancet
Year
2024
Authors
Jiamin Liu, Yan Li, Jinzhuo Ge, Xiaofang Yan, Haibo Zhang, Xin Zheng, Jiapeng Lu, X. Li, Yan Gao, L. Lei, Jing Liu, Jing Li, Xinyue Ai, Chun An, Yu An, Shiru Bai, X. Bai, J. Bi, Xiao Bin, Miaomiao Bu, Peili Bu, Wei Bu, L. Cai, N. Cai, S. Cai, Ting Cai, Wenjing Cai, Bingbing Cao, Bingbing Cao, H. Cao, L. Cao, Xian Cao, Hui Chai, Yong Chai, Zhiyong Chai, Chunduo Chang, Jian Chang, Shuyue Chang, Yunling Chang, Hua Chao, Hang Che, Qianqiu Che, Dan Chen, Dongsheng Chen, Faxi Chen, Guang Chen, Hairong Chen, Hao Chen, Hua-Shuai Chen, Huijun Chen, Jiafu Chen, Jian Chen, Jiasen Chen, Jing Chen, Jinzi Chen, Junrong Chen, Lichun Chen, Lijuan Chen, Liyuan Chen, Qun Chen, Runzhen Chen, Shaoxing Chen, Song Chen, Tieshuang Chen, Xianghong Chen, Xiaowu Chen, Xudong Chen, Xue Chen, Xunchun Chen, Yao Chen, Yong-Li Chen, Yuan Chen, Yuhong Chen, Yuyi Chen, Zhang Chen, Zhidong Chen, Zuyi Chen, Caiming Cheng, Jianbin Cheng, Xiaoxia Cheng, Junjie Chu, Ru‐Yue Cui, Xiaolin Cui, X. Cui, Yang Cui, Zhonghua Cui, Wan-heng Dai, Xing Dai, C. Ding, Hui Ding, Q. Ding, Ya-jun Ding, Yingjie Ding, Jiajia Dong, Lei Dong, Qi Dong, Yumei Dong, Bing Du, Hong Du, Jie Du, Laijing Du, M. Du, Qiong Du, T. Du, Xue Du, Ruijuan Duan, X. Duan, X. Duan, Dandan Fan, Xiaohong Fan, Xinyu Fan, Fang Fang, J. Fang, X. Fang, Yang Fang, E. Feng, H. Feng, Ling Feng, Rui Feng, Zhao Feng, Hongmei Fu, Qi Fu, Haofei Gao, Lina Gao, Lina Gao, Liwei Gao, Lu Gao, Min Gao, Q. Gao, Yuan Gao, Hongxu Geng, Hui Geng, L. Geng, Lianqing Geng, Hongyan Gou, Q. Gu, lili Guan, Shuo Guan, Wenchi Guan, Zheng Guan, Bin Guang, Anran Guo, Changhong Guo, Gaofeng Guo, Lizhi Guo, Qing-Mei Guo, Qi Guo, Ying Guo, Zhihua Guo, A. Han, Mei-Hong Han, Suhui Han, Xinru Han, Yajun Han, Feng Hao, J. Hao, S. Hao, Chuan He, Dejian He, Mengyu He, Miao He, Shao-Lin He, Wenkai He, Xiaoyu He, Yuxian He, Jige Hong, C. Hou, J. Hou, Danli Hu, Jian Hu, Jun Hu, Li Hu, Mengying Hu, Zhiyuan Hu, A. Huang, Chunxia Huang, Hao Huang, Jian Huang, Shan Huang, Siqi Huang, Weijun Huang, Wenxiu Huang, Xinghe Huang, Xinsheng Huang, Xinxin Huang, J. Hui, Lijun Hui, Zhong Hui, F. Huo, Runqing Ji, G. Jia, Hao Jia, Jingjing Jia, J. Jia, Xiaoling Jia, Hua Jiang, Jin-wei Jiang, Qian Jiang, Xianyan Jiang, Xiaoyuan Jiang, Yanxiang Jiang, Yunhong Jiao, Liying Jie, B. Jin, Ling Jin, Ren-bo Jin, R. Jin, Xiangyu Jin, Xian-Min Jin, Yongfan Jin, Ze-qiu Jin, Zhen-yi Jin, C. Jing, Jiajie Jing, Ruiling Jing, Liping Kang, Yu Kang, Jian-qiong Kong, Shijie Kou, Xianli Kou, Kulaxihan, J. Lai, Baoxiang Li, Bin Li, Bing Li, Chaohui Li, Cheng Li, Chunmei Li, Chunyan Li, Daqing Li, Deen Li, Di Li, Feng Li, Guanyi Li, Haiyang Li, Hongwei Li, Jia Li, Jialin Li, Jianan Li, Jianguang Li, Jiaying Li, Jinmei Li, Lala Li, Li Li, Lijun Li, Liping Li, Lize Li, Mingjun Li, Minglan Li, Mingyan Li, Nana Li, Nan Li, Nan Li, Qiang Li, Qianru Li, Rui Li, Ruihong Li, Shanshan Li, Shilin Li, Si Li, Suwen Li, Tong Li, Tongyin Li, Wanke Li, Wei Li, Wenbo Li, Wenjuan Li, Xiangxia Li, Xiao Li, Xiaohui Li, Xingyan Li, Xiujuan Li, Yanfang Li, Yang Li, Yanxia Li, Yaonan Li, Yichong Li, Ying Li, Yu-Qi Li, Zhengye Li, Zhengye Li, C. Liang, Jihuan Liang, Jin Liang, K. Liang, Li Liang, Ting Liang, Xianfeng Liang, Xianfeng Liang, Yan Liang, Zhenye Liang, Zhenbang Lie, Qing Lin, Rui Lin, Xiaohua Lin, Zhiqiang Lin, Aijun Liu, Chao Liu, Chunxia Liu, Cong Liu, Fang Liu, Guaiyan Liu, Hongju Liu, Jiangling Liu, Jianqi Liu, Jieyun Liu, Jihong Liu, Jinsha Liu, Juan Liu, Junfang Liu, Liming Liu, Ling Liu, Ling Liu, Luyang Liu, Qiang Liu, Qiaoling Liu, Qiaoxia Liu, Qiu Liu, Shaobo Liu, Xiaobao Liu, Xiaochen Liu, Xiaoyuan Liu, Xinbo Liu, X. Liu, Yang Liu, Yanhu Liu, Yanming Liu, Yaqin Liu, Yong Liu, Zhihong Liu, Jing Long, F. Lu, Huamei Lu, Junhong Lu, Wei Lu, Yanrong Lu, Yuchun Lu, Tianwei Luan, Qingwei Luo, Q. Luo, T. Luo, Xia Luo, Yongmei Luo, Jing-Gang Lv, J. Lv, Lei Lv, Li Lv, Meng Lv, Ai-guo Ma, Hua Ma, Hui-Hui Ma, Jie Ma, Jinbao Ma, L. Ma, Ling Ma, Nan Ma, Qiaojuan Ma, Shumei Ma, Tengfei Ma, Xiange Ma, Xiaowen Ma, Yuehua Ma, Lanxian Mai, Xiao Mei, G. Meng, Ruichao Miao, Xue Miao, Xuyan Miao, Tingting Min, Shu-Qi Mo, Morigentu, Tingyan Nan, J. Ni, S. Ni, Yu Nie, Benxing Ning, X. Ning, Manman Niu, Qingying Niu, Wentang Niu, Xiaoxia Niu, Fang Ou, Biyun Pan, Chen-Wei Pan, C. Pan, Jie Pan, X. Pan, Ziying Pan, Guangzhong Pei, Lingyu Pei, Min Pei, Y. Pei, Yin Peng, Yuming Peng, Zhaokun Pu, Fengjun Qi, Liwei Qi, M. Qi, Yan Qi, Jun Qian, L. Qin, Zhonghua Qin, Lan Qing, Lixia Qiu, Weiyu Qiu, Xiaoling Qiu, Y. Qu, M. Quan, D. Ren, Hong Ren, Lin Ren, Tingting Ren, Wei Ren, Yihui Ren, Yu Rong, Jiahui Ruan, Pei Shang, M. Shao, Xuefeng Shao, Y. Shao, Jun Shen, Rui Shen, Lin Sheng, Jia Shi, Xun Shi, Yanhong Shi, Y. Shi, Yujiao Shi, Bo Shu, Bing Song, Dan Song, Jinhui Song, J. Song, Jin Song, Wei Song, Xiaoping Song, Yawen Song, He Su, Qinfeng Su, S. Su, Xiaozhou Su, Chengxiang Sun, Fangfang Sun, G. Sun, Jiang-Jie Sun, Mengmeng Sun, R. Sun, Shuting Sun, Songtao Sun, Ying Sun, Yong Sun, Yunhong Sun, Zhiqiang Sun, Mengying Suo, B. Tan, Chunyan Tang, Z.-H. Tang, Y. Tao, Changming Tian, Hongmei Tian, Jian Tian, Xiaomin Tian, Huaibin Wan, Qin Wan, Rong Wan, Bo Wang, Chao Wang, Chaoqun Wang, Chengliang Wang, Di Wang, E. Wang, Feng Wang, Gang Wang, Guangqiang Wang, Guixiang Wang, Haifeng Wang, Haijun Wang, Haiyan Wang, Jianfang Wang, Jianfeng Wang, Jing Wang, Junping Wang, Junying Wang, Kang Wang, Lei Wang, Lin Wang, Lize Wang, Meng Wang, Pan Wang, Qi Wang, Qiong Wang, Qiuli Wang, Qiuxue Wang, Ran Wang, Shao-Feng Wang, Shuai Wang, Tao Wang, Tiantian Wang, Ting-ting Wang, Tong Wang
Related Content
Claims (4)
In adults at high risk for heart disease, lowering systolic blood pressure to under 120 mm Hg instead of under 140 mm Hg results in a 12% lower rate of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure hospitalizations, revascularization procedures, or cardiovascular death over approximately 3.4 years.
In adults at high risk for heart disease, lowering systolic blood pressure to below 120 mm Hg instead of below 140 mm Hg results in a higher rate of fainting episodes, with 0.4% of people fainting compared to 0.1%.
For adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease, lowering systolic blood pressure to below 120 mm Hg results in consistent health benefits regardless of whether they have diabetes or a prior stroke.
Lowering systolic blood pressure below 120 mm Hg reduces cardiovascular risk in the general population, but this benefit does not occur in people with diabetes, prior stroke, or frailty.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.