NHLBI Media Availability: Diuretics Better
than Other High Blood Pressure Medications in Preventing Heart Failure
Diuretic medications are more effective than other high blood pressure
medications in preventing heart failure, at least in the short term,
according to new data from a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
clinical study. High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for
heart failure, a condition where the heart is weakened and does
not effectively pump blood throughout the body.
“Role of Diuretics in the Prevention of Heart Failure,”
will be published in the May 9 online edition of Circulation.
Dr. Jeffrey Cutler, NHLBI project director for the study, which
is called the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent
Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), is available for interviews. In the
first year of treatment, participants who received ACE-inhibitors
or calcium channel blockers were two times more likely to be hospitalized
or die from heart failure than those who were taking a diuretic.
In later years, the differences between the study groups were reduced,
such that the rate of developing serious heart failure resulting
in death or hospitalization was about the same for participants
taking ACE inhibitors or diuretics, and those on calcium channel
blockers had a 22 percent higher risk.
To schedule interviews, contact the NHLBI Communications Office
at 301-496 4236.
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports
research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders.
The Institute also administers national health education campaigns
on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other
topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online
at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical
Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is
a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates
the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.
For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
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