Controlling Cholesterol, Blood Pressure Adds Up to Prevent Stroke
Posted on: Wednesday, 29 April 2009, 20:34 CDT
Researchers looked at four risk factors for stroke: high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure. They found that for each risk factor that is controlled at the optimal level, the risk of stroke and other major cardiovascular problems goes down.
The Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) study involved 4,731 people who had a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke. Half received the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin, and half received a placebo. The participants were followed for an average of 4.9 years.
People who reached optimal levels in all four risk factors were 65 percent less likely to have another stroke as people who did not reach optimal levels on any of the risk factors. Those who reached the optimal level on three risk factors were 38 percent less likely to have another stroke, and those who reached the optimal level on two risk factors were 22 percent less likely to have another stroke. Those who reached the optimal level on only one risk factor were only two percent less likely to have another stroke than people who did not meet any of the optimal levels.
"These results show that there is a cumulative effect to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure," said study author Pierre Amarenco, MD, of Denis Diderot University and Medical School in
The study was supported by Pfizer Inc.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com.
The AAN 61st Annual Meeting, the world's largest gathering of neurology professionals, takes place
SOURCE American Academy of Neurology
Source: PR Newswire
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