Influence of Baseline Diastolic Blood Pressure on the Effects of Intensive Blood Pressure Lowering: Results From the STEP Randomized Trial

The STEP (Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients) trial demonstrated that intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering has cardiovascular benefits. However, the influence of baseline diastolic blood pressure (DBP) on the effects of intensive blood pressure lowering on cardiovascular outcomes has not been fully elucidated.