New tool predicts how much blood pressure meds will help
A new online calculator from researchers at the University of New South Wales's George Institute is making blood pressure treatment more personal.
By analyzing data from over 100,000 people in 484 studies, this tool predicts how much common blood pressure meds will actually lower your numbers—so doctors don't have to rely on guesswork.
How the calculator works
The calculator looks at five main types of blood pressure drugs and uses your starting blood pressure to estimate results.
For example, a single standard dose usually drops systolic pressure by about 9 mmHg, while combining two drugs can lower it by around 15 mmHg.
The study also categorized treatments into low, moderate, or high intensity based on observed effects.
Potential to save millions of lives
Even a small drop in systolic blood pressure—just 1 mmHg—can cut your risk of heart attack or stroke by 2%.
Since the tool was tested and found accurate with outside data, it could help doctors everywhere pick better treatments faster and potentially save millions of lives.