A large cohort study has identified which treatment combinations work best for people with high blood pressure who are at risk of heart disease. Taking both blood pressure drugs and statins might be the best choice, the researchers find.
Researchers from the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University London in the United Kingdom have recently made public the results of a large long-term study that looked at the efficiency of different treatments in keeping cardiovascular disease at bay.
A combination of blood pressure-lowering drugs and statins (which are drugs that help regulate cholesterol levels) show the best results, the experts explain.
Summary Of Updated Recommendations For Primary Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease In Women: Jacc State Of The Art Review
They presented the study’s results at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress, held in Munich, Germany, and they featured them in a dedicated
“Patients in their mid-60s with high blood pressure were less likely to die from heart disease or stroke by age 75–80 if they had taken both calcium channel blocker-based blood pressure lowering treatment and a statin, ” explains Dr. Ajay Gupta.
In the new study, the investigators followed 8, 580 U.K. participants who were initially recruited in 1998–2000. All of the participants had high blood pressure at baseline, as well as several risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.
Steps To Prevent Heart Disease And Stroke Infographic
The original ASCOT study had three main aims; first, to test which of two approaches to treatment — a traditional or an innovative one — would work best for preventing heart attacks.
To do so, the team gave some participants the innovative therapy, which consisted of amlodipine and, if necessary, perindopril. These are two specialized drugs that aim to lower blood pressure.
The other participants all took the traditional treatment of atenolol (another blood pressure drug), and bendroflumethiazide (which is a diuretic used to treat hypertension), to which potassium was added on a case-by-case basis.
Imperial Centre For Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Since the novel approach proved effective in preventing strokes and premature death after a median period of 5.5. years, the researchers stopped the trial at that point.
The ASCOT study’s second aim was to see whether people with high blood pressure who also took statins would be any more shielded against the development of coronary heart disease. The team gave this new treatment to those with hypertension and average cholesterol levels (under 6.5 millimoles per liter).
On the basis of a randomized allocation, these participants took either atorvastatin or a placebo for 3.3 years. Once more, the trial was so successful in preventing heart attacks and strokes that it ended early.
Want To Reduce Heart Attack Severity? Continue With Preventive Medicine
Finally, the ASCOT study also aimed to assess the overall effectiveness of the two therapies for blood pressure in individuals with hypertension and high cholesterol (reading over 6.5 millimoles per liter).
The researchers did not give statins to this group of participants over the 5.5 years during which they were involved in the study.
Based on the ASCOT data, Dr. Gupta and team were able to assess the effectiveness of the various treatment combinations in the long-term.
Decoding Aspirin Use For Heart Disease Prevention: Who Should Take It And When? • Myheart
They found that the study participants who had taken amlodipine and perindopril for 5.5 years had a 29 percent lower likelihood of having died due to a stroke 10 years later, compared with the participants who followed the traditional therapy for blood pressure.
Moreover, participants with average cholesterol levels at baseline who took a statin during the trial had a 15 percent lower risk of death due to heart disease and stroke after 16 years, compared with those who only took a placebo.
Also, the participants with high cholesterol at baseline who took their usual cholesterol-lowering treatment as well as the innovative blood pressure therapy saw 21 percent fewer deaths due to cardiovascular disease over 10 years.
What Is Preventive Cardiology?
“ These results are remarkable. We have previously shown that statins confer long-term survival benefits after trials have stopped, but this is the first time it has been found with a blood pressure treatment.” Study co-author Prof. Peter Sever
Prof. Mark Caulfield, the director of the William Harvey Research Institute, also emphasizes the importance of the study’s findings for preventive medicine.Please note: This article was published more than two years ago, so some information may be outdated. If you have questions about your health, always contact a health care professional.
Living a healthy lifestyle by getting plenty of exercise and eating a nutritious diet are the keys to preventing disease, according to new guidelines released Sunday.
Heart Disease: Recognising Symptoms And Preventive Measures A Complete Guide 2020
The guidelines from the American Association and the American College of Cardiology were presented Sunday at an ACC annual meeting and led by a group of the country's leading doctors and scientists. They put under one umbrella an array of research-based recommendations for doctors to use in counseling patients.
Disease and stroke are the leading causes of death, responsible for an estimated 17 million deaths every year worldwide. In the United States, cardiovascular disease is listed as the underlying cause in 840, 678 deaths – about 1 out of every 3, according to the latest AHA statistics.
The intent is to pull together all areas for primary prevention into one single file, a kind of one-stop shop for prevention, said Donna Arnett, co-chair of the 18-person writing committee. One of the unique additions in this guideline is that we approached it from the patient's perspective.
Older Adults Without Heart Diseases Shouldn't Take Daily Aspirin To Prevent Heart Attack
For example, if clinicians are thinking about how to advise a patient on how to eat a healthy diet, they should consider that there may be cultural factors or economic factors at play. We encourage fresh fruits and vegetables, but for some patients with food security issues, they may not always be affordable or accessible, said Arnett, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and a professor in the department of epidemiology. We want to understand and meet patients where they are; it's a fundamental focus of this guideline.
The guidelines encourage doctors to ask their patients plenty of questions to understand the impact that social determinants of health are having on their health.
Social determinants include numerous societal and environmental barriers – such as access to healthy food, safe places to exercise and quality care – that affect health and health care. Determinants also can include factors such as quality of sleep, stress and even cultural or societal perceptions about body size and image.
Defining Preventive Cardiology: A Clinical Practice Statement From The American Society For Preventive Cardiology
The expert panel made sure to emphasize the social determinants, giving specific examples in the guidelines, said Dr. Joseph Yeboah, who also was on the writing committee.
We see it all the time as health care providers. There are a lot of barriers, said Yeboah, an associate professor of cardiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina.
We all come from different backgrounds and perceive disease differently, said Yeboah, who was born and grew up in the west African country of Ghana. In some cultures, disease is something that hurts, and if it doesn't then it's not disease.
Prevent Heart Disease
When you have high blood pressure, for example, it doesn't hurt. So, you have to let (patients) know there are consequences to high blood pressure, he said. It's up to health care providers to address that barrier first so that the person will accept the treatment plan. The treatment plan should start with minimizing salt intake, exercising, weight loss and, if needed, medications.
For adults older than 40, the guidelines reiterate recommendations that doctors use a risk calculator to help estimate a patient's chance of developing cardiovascular disease within the next 10 years – and that doctors then have a client-patient risk discussion before starting a patient on medicines.
A few key pieces in the guidelines – which encompass separate recommendations on cholesterol and high blood pressure, as well as tackling obesity and diabetes – are new. For instance, the guidelines recommend doctors:
Posters For Medical Institutions And Health Care Stock Illustration
In the area about healthy eating, experts included recommendations for diets that include more plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains, and those that feature fish, lean vegetable or lean animal proteins. The guidelines also urge doctors to counsel patients to minimize trans fats, processed meat, refined carbohydrates and sweetened drinks.
The guidelines point out that adults who are habitually high consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages could find low-calorie sweeteners a useful replacement strategy on the path to transitioning to water.
Related to exercise, the guidelines include recommendations, based on recent federal government guidelines, that adults should engage in at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes a week at a vigorous pace.
Primary Prevention Of Ischaemic Heart Disease: Populations, Individuals, And Health Professionals
Yeboah said the emphasis on having doctors counsel their patients about healthy living shows an important shift. We go right to behavioral and lifestyle changes first to minimize cardiovascular disease risk, before adding medication.
American Association News covers disease, stroke and related health issues. Not all views expressed in American Association News stories reflect the official position of the American Association.Statements, conclusions, accuracy and reliability of studies published in American Association scientific journals or presented at American Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the American Association’s official guidance, policies or positions.
Copyright is owned or held by the American Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further
0 comments:
Post a Comment