February 24, 2021
Compared with men, women have a lower range of optimal blood pressure and are therefore at higher risk for CV disease and events at systolic levels typically believed to be “normal,” new research concludes.
“We ve been assuming up to this time that 120 is the number to worry about, and anything under 120 is totally fine and safe for both women and men,” said senior author Susan Cheng, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA). “It turns out it s probably fine and safe for men, but not necessarily for women.”
In an analysis of participants from four large community-based cohorts, Cheng’s group found that women who had CV disease, stroke, MI, or heart failure (HF) consistently had BP levels that were 10 mm Hg lower to as much as 50 mm Hg lower than men who experienced the same events.