Questioning Medicine

Association of Duration of Recognized Hypertension and Stroke Risk: The REGARDS Study   (Transition Music - Short and subtle - 2 seconds)Host:  Hypertension is a well-known risk factor for stroke, but this study, led by Dr. George Howard and colleagues, asks a fascinating question: Does the duration of hypertension matter, even when blood pressure is managed? (Transition Music - Short and subtle - 2 seconds)Host: The researchers used data from the REGARDS study, a large, long-term study looking at racial and geographic differences in stroke. They followed over 27,000 stroke-free participants for over 12 years, tracking who developed stroke and how long they had been diagnosed with hypertension. Participants were grouped by duration of hypertension: normotensive (no hypertension), 5 years or less, 6 to 20 years, and 21 years or more. (Transition Music - Short and subtle - 2 seconds)Host:  So, what did they find? Several key findings emerged. First, people with longer durations of hypertension were taking more