The final results of the trial, which was conducted in the UK, Ireland and the Nordic countries, showed that the combination of newer blood pressure lowering drugs reduced the risk of strokes by about 25%, coronaries by 15%, cardiovascular deaths by 25% and new cases of diabetes by 30% compared with the standard treatment.
The findings were produced by the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT). ASCOT included more than 19,000 men and women with high blood pressure who were at a moderate risk of strokes and heart attacks. T
o control their blood pressure, they received either the newer drugs – a calcium antagonist, amlodipine and the ACE inhibitor, perindopril – or a traditional combination of a beta-blocker, atenolol and a diuretic. Additionally, 10,000 patients were also treated with the cholesterol lowering drug atorvastatin or a placebo (dummy pill). This is the only major European study to-date to combine these two treatment strategies.
“High blood pressure is a major public health problem. Despite the availability of effective blood pressure lowering drugs, many people who are being treated still suffer strokes, heart attacks and other related diseases, such as diabetes,” commented professor Bjorn Dahlof, co-chairman of the study, and associate professor at the University of Gothenburg.
“Now, the evidence from ASCOT offers us a simple and effective combination of treatments which both control the blood pressure and lower cholesterol to more effectively reduce this risk,” added Professor Dahlof.
Following the study, the investigators believe that international recommendations for managing high blood pressure may need to be reviewed. Additionally, they suggest that most patients with hypertension should also be considered for a cholesterol lowering drug.