Effects of elevated systolic blood pressure on ischemic heart disease

A standardized approach for quantifying the strength of evidence that supports associations between risk factors and given health outcomes is presented as part of a package of papers published this week in Nature Medicine.

The findings are presented in an easy-to-understand star rating system showing the strength of evidence for each link. The new star rating system aims to help people make personal health decisions, inform health policy, and guide future research.

Dr. Gregory Roth, associate professor (Cardiology) is senior author on the burden of proof study describing the significant harmful effect of high systolic blood pressure on the risk of ischemic heart disease.

A systolic blood pressure of between 107.5 and 165 mmHg, for example, was found to raise a person’s risk by an average of 101.36% (equal to a five-star rating).