PARTLY LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE: TOTAL HEART ATTACK RATE FELL BY 37% AND THE TOTAL STROKE RATE BY 47
Doc Tells Janet That Top Blood Pressure in the 130-139 group, the total heart attack rate fell by 37% and the total stroke rate by 47%
You know, "Janet even if we don't bring Joe's blood pressure down to the so called ideal numbers there is still evidence that bringing it down even some of the way can lead to tremendous benefits".
Janet had been startled when Doc Wilson had almost shouted at her that controlling high blood pressure was one of the surest ways to get people to live longer. He was still on a roll and now they were talking about Janet's husband Joe, who had his "ups and downs" when it came to following medical advice. Joe chafed at having to take two or three pills to control his blood pressure and wondered if he really didn't feel that bad what was the need for it anyway?
What Was the Medical Article that Doc Wilson Showed Janet ?
"Joe is sometimes pretty hard headed,doc" Janet said. "I know Janet but the thing is even if we don't get his pressure down to the so called ideal numbers it is still well worth the effort just getting the pressure down to more reasonable numbers. You know Janet, I was just reading a medical report by a group of doctors who found that getting the top number of the blood pressure down to say 130 to 139, even that had demonstrable benefits in lowering heart attack and stroke".
Doc Wilson went over to the book shelf, pulled out a medical journal and quickly leafed through the pages till he came to the page he was looking for. "Ah hah, here it is, here Janet look at this". He was holding open the medical journal to a page titled "RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH HIGH RISK HYPERTENSION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ACCOMPLISH TRIAL".
A Lecture at Meeting of Heart Specialists and What Could It Possibly have to Do With Joe and Janet ?
"I was at a recent meeting of the medical society of heart specialists and I heard one of the authors of this report give a talk. He said that this study implied that treating patients with high risk high blood pressure and getting the top number, the so called systolic to between 130 and 139 showed lots of benefits".
"Let me translate this medical mumbo jumbo into English, the researchers here analyzed people who particpated in a study of blood pressure called the ACCOMPLISH STUDY.
They divided the patients from that study into 4 groups, according to the top (systolic) blood pressure numbers that the treated patients achieved with the medicines involved in the study. The groups were those with top numbers of 110-119, 120-129,130-139 and over 140. They found that for people in the 130-139 group, the total heart attack rate fell by 37% and the total stroke rate by 47%".
Janet asked, "So you mean, the people whose top blood pressure number was in the 130-139 range still showed benefits?". "Yes, exactly, I would call them big benefits,wouldn't you say that a lot less heart attack and stroke are big benefits?".
