Blood pressure research awarded Trial of the Year

Blood pressure research awarded Trial of the Year. HYVET named Trial of the Year 2008 - %0A " Trial stops after stroke and mortality significantly reduced by blood pressure-lowering treatment for elderly patients Significant reductions in mortality and cardiovascular events shown using blood pressure-lowering treatment in very elderly - By Lucy Goodchild - Thursday 7 May 2009 A trial that showed how lowering the blood pressure of very elderly patients could cut their overall mortality by a fifth and their rate of cardiovascular events by a third has been named Trial of the Year 2008 by Project ImpACT and the Society for Clinical Trials. The 3,845 patient Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET), which was initiated and coordinated by scientists from Imperial College London, is the largest ever clinical trial to look at the effects of lowering blood pressure solely in those aged 80 and over. The research showed that the benefits of treatment include a 21 percent reduction in total mortality rate, a 39 percent reduction in stroke mortality rate, a 64 percent reduction in fatal and non-fatal heart failure and a 34 percent reduction in cardiovascular events. Some of these benefits were apparent within the first year of follow-up. HYVET was co-ordinated by scientists from Imperial College London, working with colleagues around the world. the main trial was funded by both the British Heart Foundation and by the Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier.