News - Hypertension Week of Nov. 16, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 46

Study: Atacand Reduces Stroke In Elderly Patients With Isolated Systolic Hypertension

The drug Atacand® (candesartan cilexetil) reduces the incidence of stroke in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension, according to a study presented November 10 at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Orlando.

Researchers found that Atacand reduced the risk of a non-fatal stroke by 42 percent in such patients. The study involved 1,518 patient between the ages of 70 to 89 years with isolated systolic hypertension (systolic blood pressure over 160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure under 90 mmHg).

Patients were randomly assigned to receive Atacand or a placebo with standard anti-hypertensive therapy added as needed to control blood pressure.

A total of 20 strokes (three fatal and 17 non-fatal) occurred in the Atacand treatment group, whereas 35 (7 fatal, 28 non-fatal) occurred in the control group.

The study revealed similar reductions in blood pressure in the two groups; blood pressure fell by 22/6 mmHg in the Atacand group and 20/5 mmHg in the control group.

"Isolated systolic hypertension is the predominant form of hypertension in the elderly, with stroke the most common cardiovascular complication in this age group," said lead researcher Vasilios Papademetriou, a professor of medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, DC..

"These results demonstrate that reducing blood pressure with Atacand offers important clinical benefit by reducing the risk of stroke in this patient group," added Papademetriou.

Other sources: AstraZenaca