Prior events predict cerebrovascular and coronary outcomes in the PROGRESS trial.
OBJECTIVE
The relationship between baseline and recurrent vascular events may be important in the targeting of secondary prevention strategies. We examined the relationship between initial event and various types of further vascular outcomes and associated effects of blood pressure (BP)-lowering.


METHODS
Subsidiary analyses of the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS) trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial that established the benefits of BP-lowering in 6105 patients (mean age 64 years, 30% female) with cerebrovascular disease, randomly assigned to either active treatment (perindopril for all, plus indapamide in those with neither an indication for, nor a contraindication to, a diuretic) or placebo(s).


RESULTS
Stroke subtypes and coronary events were associated with 1.5- to 6.6-fold greater risk of recurrence of the same event (hazard ratios, 1.51 to 6.64; P=0.1 for large artery infarction, P<0.0001 for other events). However, 46% to 92% of further vascular outcomes were not of the same type. Active treatment produced comparable reductions in the risk of vascular outcomes among patients with a broad range of vascular events at entry (relative risk reduction, 25%; P<0.0001 for ischemic stroke; 42%, P=0.0006 for hemorrhagic stroke; 17%, P=0.3 for coronary events; P homogeneity=0.4).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with previous vascular events are at high risk of recurrences of the same event. However, because they are also at risk of other vascular outcomes, a broad range of secondary prevention strategies is necessary for their treatment. BP-lowering is likely to be one of the most effective and generalizable strategies across a variety of major vascular events including stroke and myocardial infarction.
Arima
Hisatomi
H
The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
Tzourio
Christophe
C
Butcher
Ken
K
Anderson
Craig
C
Bousser
Marie-Germaine
MG
Lees
Kennedy R
KR
Reid
John L
JL
Omae
Teruo
T
Woodward
Mark
M
MacMahon
Stephen
S
Chalmers
John
J
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020913:Perindopril / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D020913:Perindopril