What should the blood pressure treatment goal be in adults with hypertension in 2016?

On the basis of randomized clinical trial data including the Hypertension in the Very Elderly (HYVET) trial (1) and the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly (SHEP) trial (2-4), the American College of Cardiology Foundation/ American Heart Association 2011 hypertension guidelines (5), the European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology 2013 hypertension guidelines (6), the 2014 American Society of Hypertension/International Society of Hypertension guidelines (7), and the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation/ American Society of Hypertension 2015 guidelines on treatment of hypertension in adults with coronary artery disease (8) recommended that the blood pressure be lowered to less than 140/90 mmHg in adults younger than 80 years and to less than 150/90 mmHg in adults aged 80 years and older. Data from 9,787 adults in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study also supported these recommendations (9).