The Study
Blood-Pressure and Cholesterol Lowering in Persons without Cardiovascular Disease.
This study is like a fair test where half the people got a special pill and half got sugar pills, and then they watched who had heart problems. Because they randomly picked who got what, we can say the special pill probably caused fewer heart problems — not just that people who took it were luckier.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if taking one pill with three medicines (a cholesterol-lowering drug and two blood pressure drugs) every day helps healthy middle-aged people avoid heart attacks and strokes.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 582 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — for every 72 people taking this combo for 5.6 years, one major heart or stroke event was prevented, with only small increases in muscle weakness or dizziness.
- 2People who took the combo pill had 29% fewer heart attacks, strokes, or heart-related deaths; their LDL cholesterol dropped by 33.7 mg/dL and blood pressure by 6.2 mm Hg; 1 in 72 people avoided a major event over 5.6 years.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The New England journal of medicine
Year
2016
Authors
S. Yusuf, E. Lonn, P. Pais, J. Bosch, P. López-Jaramillo, Jun Zhu, D. Xavier, Á. Avezum, Lawrence A Leiter, L. Piegas, A. Parkhomenko, M. Keltai, K. Keltai, K. Sliwa, Irina Chazova, R. Peters, C. Held, K. Yusoff, B. Lewis, P. Janský, K. Khunti, W. Toff, C. Reid, J. Varigos, J. Accini, R. McKelvie, J. Pogue, Hyejung Jung, Li-sheng Liu, R. Diaz, A. Dans, G. Dagenais
Related Content
Claims (5)
In adults aged 60–65 at intermediate risk for heart disease but without existing cardiovascular disease, taking a daily pill combining rosuvastatin, candesartan, and hydrochlorothiazide for about 5.6 years lowers the chance of heart failure, cardiac arrest, or needing a revascularization procedure by 28% compared to taking two placebo pills.
In adults aged 60–65 at intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease but without existing cardiovascular disease, taking a daily pill containing rosuvastatin, candesartan, and hydrochlorothiazide for about 5.6 years reduces the rate of heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular death by 29% compared to taking two placebo pills.
In adults aged 60–65 at intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease but without existing disease, taking a daily pill combining rosuvastatin, candesartan, and hydrochlorothiazide for about 5.6 years lowers systolic blood pressure by 6.2 mm Hg and LDL cholesterol by 33.7 mg/dL compared to taking two placebo pills, and does not increase the rate of people stopping treatment due to side effects.
Among adults aged 60 to 65 without cardiovascular disease but at intermediate risk, taking a daily pill containing rosuvastatin, candesartan, and hydrochlorothiazide for about 5.6 years lowers the rate of stroke by 44% compared to taking two placebo pills, resulting in 0.8 fewer strokes per 100 people.
In adults aged 60–65 at intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease but without existing disease, taking a daily combination of rosuvastatin, candesartan, and hydrochlorothiazide for about 5.6 years increases the occurrence of muscle weakness by 0.9 percentage points and dizziness by 2.2 percentage points compared to taking two placebo pills, with no increase in serious side effects or treatment discontinuation.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.