High blood pressure (BP) is among the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease and death.
1,2 Prevailing concepts regarding BP have changed dramatically over time. Results of the Framingham Heart Study have shifted the emphasis on diastolic BP (DBP) to systolic BP (SBP) by showing that SBP was a more important risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes.
2 This has generated debate and relative neglect of the role of DBP in cardiovascular risk estimation.
3 Whether there is a diastolic J-shape phenomenon, meaning that both high and low DBP could increase cardiovascular risk, is among the most controversial issues.