Faster care for hypertension won’t make much difference, says prof

New guidelines developed by a task force of physicians will call on
Canadian physicians to treat high blood pressure faster, earlier and more
aggressively than ever before, reported the Toronto Star Jan. 14. But not
everyone agrees that faster treatment of the disease will have much
benefit. "If your blood pressure is moderately elevated, whether you get
treatment now or in two months is not going to make a big deal of a
difference," said Dr. Joel Lexchin, a professor at York’s School of Health
Policy & Management. "If you're going to develop a heart attack or stroke,
it's going to take 10 to 20 years for an event to happen," said Lexchin,
who is also an emergency room physician at Mount Sinai Hospital.