US heart groups to weigh new data for hypertension treatment guidelines

U.S. heart organizations drafting new treatment guidelines for hypertension will consider new research showing that aggressively lowering blood pressure can ward off death and other cardiac problems, but top cardiologists advised caution in how the information is applied to wide practice. Once called the "silent killer," high blood pressure can be brought under control with a wide array of medications, many sold as relatively inexpensive generics. About 70 million people in the United States live with hypertension. The medical community has been divided over whether there is an optimal blood pressure level for such patients.