Several long-term studies have suggested no significant increase in all-cause mortality over long periods of time for individuals falling within the prehypertensive range.
But those whose blood pressure registers in the upper half of the prehypertensive range may be at greater risk than those whose pressure is closer to normal.
Typically, blood pressure lowering drugs are not recommended, unless prehypertensive patients also have other conditions like diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
An analysis of 16 studies, covering 70,664 patients, found that treating 169 prehypertensive people with blood pressure-lowering medication for 4.3 years would prevent one stroke from happening.
