stroke. So taking more than one
antihypertensive at a time has
become common, especially for
people with diabetes. Such multi-
drug combos included a diuretic, but
Lotrel does away with the diuretic
in favor of the two other classes of
drugs. This new combo lowers blood
pressure as much as the old ones
and also lowers the risk of heart
attacks and other cardiac “events”
2 0
percent more than older combos.
“That’s a real shakeup,” says Dr. Eric
Topol, a cardiologist and director of
the Scripps Translational Science
Institute in La Jolla, California.
“It’s not how we normally have
approached high blood pressure.”
N E V E R T O O O L D
The same study also found that older
adults—those above age 80—stand to
benefit tremendously from concerted
efforts at getting their blood pressure
down, something that until now was
considered unsafe or simply not
worth the expense of treatment
High blood pressure in older
adults can be very high—the average
systolic (top number) reading for the
study subjects was in the 170s
(normal is in the 120s). The new
finding is that just lowering it about
15 points into the 150s—still high for
the general population—really helps
prevent heart attacks, stroke, and
other serious complications.
W H A T IT A L L M E A N S
There’s nothing subtle about the best
response here: Take advantage of
these new developments. If you’re on
blood pressure medication already—
or haven’t been able to whip your
hypertension by diet and exercise-
ask your doctor about the new
nondiuretic combo. If you’re over
80, or have a relative who is, get a
blood pressure test and bring up
the subject of antihypertensive
medications with your doctor,
especially the Lotrel combination.
Home is Where
the Heart is
Testing blood pressure in the
privacy of your own home can
often give you the most accurate
readings. That's because of a
phenomenon called “ white-coat
hypertension” in which the stress
of being examined by a health
professional can cause your blood
pressure to shoot up, causing an
abnormally high reading. Testing
at home first thing in the morning
can also reveal a disorder called
morning hypertension, in which
your blood pressure rises rapidly
early in the morning, making you
susceptible to early-day cardiac
events. Invest in a high-quality home
blood pressure monitor and track
your blood pressure throughout the
day, starting as soon as you wake
up. Discuss the results with your
doctor. One to consider is the
Omron HEM-780, $99, found at
Wal-Mart,
amazon.com
, and most
large pharmacy chains. Get more
information at
omronhealthcare.com.
BETTER HOMES AND
GARDENS OCTOBER
2008
2 5
I
Rea'S tr a w b e r r ie s
ww„
F r o s t e d
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