Four-in-one pill 'effective' for high blood pressure

Conclusion The findings of this early-stage study suggest that a quadpill might be an effective way of lowering blood pressure. It might also show fewer side effects associated with taking blood pressure tablets at higher doses, such as dizziness, diarrhoea, or a cough. There are some limitations to the study: There were only 18 people included in the study. A bigger trial needs to be undertaken to find out what the results would look like if the quadpill was widely used in the population. The study was undertaken in an Australian setting where medication and monitoring of blood pressure might differ – therefore results might not be generalisable to other settings. People in the study took the quadpill for just four weeks. The medication needs to be taken for longer in order to see long-term effectiveness and possible side effects. The "controlled" level of blood pressure the researchers used did not mean that participants had an ideal blood pressure, just that their blood pressure was no longer considered high. This is an early-stage trial. Changes to advice on blood pressure medication won't happen immediately, but this approach appears to be promising and further larger trials, hopefully against existing single therapies, could provide stronger evidence. Ways you can combat high blood pressure, as well as other chronic diseases, include: Eating a healthy diet, and importantly, not eating more than 6g of salt a day. Sticking to the recommend...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news