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 05 September 2008 06:15 BST

Blood pressure drugs 'reduce mortality'

Tuesday, 07 Aug 2007 07:59
The drug helped to lower the risk of stroke and overall mortality
An international trial testing blood pressure drugs on elderly patients has stopped early after the results showed a significant reduction in both stroke and overall mortality.

All the patients involved in the trial will now be offered the option of switching to the blood pressure-lowering drug.

Over 3,800 patients took part in the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET), the largest-ever clinical trial to study the effects of lowering blood pressure in those solely over the age of 80.

The patients, all with high blood pressure and from a number of countries, were given either a placebo (dummy drug) or a low dose diuretic (indapamide 1.5mg SR), and an additional ACE inhibitor (perindopril), in tablet form once a day.

Preliminary results suggested that lowering blood pressure significantly reduces both stroke and mortality.

Stroke is England's third biggest killer, with one person suffering a stroke every five minutes. In 2004, 11 per cent of deaths amongst those aged 75 to 84 and 14 per cent of deaths amongst those aged over 85 were due to stroke.

Commenting on the study's findings, Emeritus Professor Chris Bulpitt, HYVET principal investigator from the care of the elderly department at Imperial College London, said: "It was not clear prior to our study whether the over 80s would benefit from blood pressure lowering medication in the same way as younger people.

"Our results are great news for people in this age group because they suggest that where they have high blood pressure, such treatment can cut their chances of dying as well as stroke."

Definitive figures from the trial are being collected and the results will appear in a medical journal at a later date.

Dr Isabel Lee, research liaison officer at The Stroke Association, said the preliminary findings "further support our knowledge of the role of high blood pressure in stroke".

"High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke - around 50,000 strokes per year could be prevented each year through its control," she added.

"An estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year with three quarters being over the age of 65, so the trials observations are very encouraging news for the UK's ageing population."
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