HYPERTENSION TRIAL RESULTS - CONSENSUS AND CONFLICTS

In severe and accelerated hypertension the benefits of treatment are c learcut. In patients <60 years of age with mild hypertension the main benefit is reduction of stroke by about 40%. The death rate from strok e is declining in many affluent countries for reasons which can only b e partly explained by mass treatment of hypertension. In the MRC trial in patients (60 years old it took 2500 patient/years of treatment to save one stroke. If the number of strokes is declining for other reaso ns the number of patient/years to save one stroke may be increasing. I n older patients the absolute benefit is greater because they suffer m ore stroke events and because treatment also reduces coronary events.