Researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences have introduced a new and simple way to help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.
They studied a low-cost drug combination called a “polypill” that could make a big difference, especially in places where healthcare is expensive or hard to access.
The polypill combines four common heart medications into one pill. It includes two drugs to lower blood pressure, one to lower cholesterol, and a low dose of aspirin to help prevent blood clots.
These are drugs that doctors already give to people at risk of heart disease, but many patients find it hard to manage multiple pills every day. That can lead to people skipping doses and putting their heart health at risk.
To test how well the polypill works, researchers ran a study in Iran with about 6,800 people between the ages of 50 and 75. Some people in the study already had heart problems, while others did not. Everyone in the study was given advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle, but only half were given the polypill.
The polypill in the study included the following: aspirin (81 mg) to prevent clots, atorvastatin (20 mg) to lower cholesterol, hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg) to treat high blood pressure, and enalapril (5 mg) to help control blood pressure.
The results were promising. After five years, only 6% of the people who took the polypill had a major heart problem like a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. In comparison, 9% of people who didn’t take the polypill had these issues. That’s a 34% lower risk for those who took the polypill.
Even when researchers adjusted the data to account for people who were already on other heart medications, the risk was still reduced by about 22%. People who took the polypill consistently had even better results, with at least a 70% lower risk of major heart issues. This shows that the polypill can be very effective if people stick to the treatment.
Interestingly, most of the benefit seemed to come from lowering cholesterol rather than blood pressure. This suggests that the cholesterol-lowering drug in the pill plays a major role in protecting the heart.
This study is especially important for poorer countries where access to healthcare and medicine is limited. The polypill offers a simple and affordable solution to help people prevent heart disease.
For people in wealthier countries who already have access to many treatment options, the polypill may not have as big of an impact. But it still shows how combining medications can help people stay healthier.
Overall, this research shows that a single, low-cost polypill could be a game-changer in the fight against heart disease. By making treatment simpler and more affordable, it could help millions of people lower their risk of heart attacks and strokes, especially in parts of the world where medical care is harder to get.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
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