“Most of the hypertension guidelines right now focus on what agents to use and what blood pressure to aim for, and there has been very little emphasis on the importance of statins in treating patients with hypertension,” Yusuf said. “Our approach, which used a combination of moderate doses of two blood pressure lowering-drugs plus a statin, appears to produce the biggest ‘bang,’ in terms of reducing events, with few side effects.”

One limitation of the study is that, while it tracked patients for more than five years—a long period of time compared to most clinical trials—it can take many more years or even decades to show the full improvements in outcomes from primary disease prevention interventions. It is possible that extending the study for a longer period of time may have revealed larger benefits.


Participants will be tracked for an additional three to five years. The researchers will continue to conduct additional analyses examining the effects on cognitive decline, erectile dysfunction and vision, along with detailed analyses of potential differences among ethnic groups and geographic regions.

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and AstraZeneca, the manufacturer of the drugs tested. The study was independently designed and conducted by the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada, which conducts epidemiologic studies and clinical trials in more than 50 countries.

Yusuf, Lonn and Bosch have received institutional research grants from several pharmaceutical companies, and Yusuf and Lonn have served as consultants for several pharmaceutical companies.

The results of the study will be simultaneously published in three reports online in the New England Journal of Medicine at the time of presentation.

The ACC’s Annual Scientific Session, which in 2016 will be April 2-4 in Chicago, brings together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC16 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications.

- See more at: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2016/04/02/12/28/study-supports-broader-use-of-statins-in-intermediate-risk-populations?w_nav=S#sthash.dVxYXV32.dpuf

Back to HCB News

Medical Research Homepage