BP drugs may cut odds of heart problems

Aortic stenosis, the most common form of valvular heart disease, surfaces due to blockage in the main valve connecting the heart with the rest of the body. Due to this, the heart valve gets extremely tight causing chest pain, and breathlessness.

The heart disorder affects an estimated 5 percent of the population worldwide.

According to the findings of the new study by researchers at the University of Dundee and NHS Tayside, patients who take blood pressure drugs are less likely to suffer from heart attack or die from one.

The study
For the purpose of the study, Chim Lang, professor of Cardiology at the University of Dundee, and colleagues scrutinised health records of Tayside patients with aortic stenosis who have undergone heart scans over the past 20 years.

Investigations revealed that patients who were prescribed a daily pill to combat high blood pressure were less likely to suffer from heart disease as against counterparts who were not put on blood pressure medication.

“From looking at these records, we have shown that patients taking drugs that block the renin angiotensin system like ACE Inhibitors and angiotensin blockers had significantly lower rates of all-cause death and cardiovascular events,” marked Professor Lang.

“Aortic stenosis is a growing problem. Physicians have previously not known whether to continue these ACE Inhibitor medications or not. On the one hand, a fall in blood pressure may not be helpful but on the other hand these drugs offer many protective benefits.

“We observed that patients with aortic stenosis who were taking these medications had a better outcome. This observation, however, needs to be confirmed by prospective clinical trials,” Lang concluded.

The findings of the study feature in the current issue of 'Journal of the American College of Cardiology.'