AgingResearch.NewsJoin free
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract

Digital health support improves control of heart risk factors

Over 24 months, 47.48% of participants receiving digital guidance controlled their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol compared with 35.89% receiving routine care alone.

Paper by Y Gu, X Han, Y Li, 4 more authorsA Dang · Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
Blood vessels contain blood cells and scattered glucose shapes, sparse beside a smartphone with a message bubble and denser in the opposing vessel.
Randomized trial in 1,859 adults aged 40 years or older, 24 months, against routine care aloneInterventions

Limit: Enrolled only adults aged 40 or older with elevated cardiovascular risk in China

Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper
Follow

Researchers enrolled 1,859 adults in China aged 40 years or older with established heart disease or intermediate-to-high cardiovascular risk and at least one uncontrolled risk factor in a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Participants had a mean age of 68.25 years, and 44.54% were men. Across 12 community health centers, 1,245 participants received routine care plus specialist-set goals, monthly text messages, and weekly digital health articles. Another 614 participants received routine care alone.

At 24 months, 47.48% of the digital health group achieved combined control of blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and cholesterol, compared with 35.89% of the control group. The intervention improved blood pressure control in participants with hypertension and blood glucose control in those with diabetes. Systolic blood pressure showed a 5.67 mmHg greater reduction in the intervention group. Cholesterol control rates showed no significant difference between groups.

Why it matters

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of illness and death in older adults, driven by risk factors that often go unmanaged. Combining community resources with mobile health tools may offer a scalable strategy to help aging populations control multiple cardiovascular risks over time.

Caveats

The findings were published as a conference abstract without full peer review, and the program showed no significant effect on cholesterol control. The trial also enrolled only adults aged 40 or older with elevated cardiovascular risk in China, so the results may not apply to younger or lower-risk populations.

More on Blood pressure