Study gives heart patients new hope

NEW treatment for high blood pressure has shown lifesaving benefits for thousands of patients including a significant reduction in the risk of stroke and fatal heart attacks.

Results from the ASCOT study (Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial), published in the Lancet, found the new treatment regime cut the risk of stroke by 23% and the risk of heart attack by 24%.

Eoin O’Brien, Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacology at Beaumont Hospital, where 531 patients took part in the study, said the results “demonstrated both control of blood pressure and reduction in risk of strokes, heart attacks and other related diseases, such as diabetes.”