An international trial has been stopped early! There were such significant reductions in the incidence of stroke and overall mortality in those receiving treatment that it has been given the red light.
The 3,845 patient Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) is the largest ever clinical trial to look at the effects of lowering blood pressure solely in those aged 80 and over. Preliminary results of the trial, which is coordinated by scientists from Imperial College London, suggest that lowering blood pressure significantly reduces both stroke and mortality in the over-80s.
The final numbers will be presented after the patients …read more

I posted this as well over at Diabetes Notes, but I think it is big enough news that you will excuse the duplication.
Ok, it is official… Avandia will stay on the market.  The FDA voted an overwhelming yes to keeping the drug on the shelves.  They stated that they are recommending that there be warning labels for the elder population and high risk cardiac patients. 
And as you can guess, this is getting a bag of mixed emotions.  Will this stop the 1000’s of lawsuits that are currently existing due to Avandia’s heart implications?  I think not.  But it will give …read more

Have you ever heard someone say, “well they are 80 years old, what do you expect”? Answer please… I expect all patients to be privy to treatment regardless of age. So, if my grandmother is 82, but has no health history, and is wild and lively, then treat her condition. True, some older patients with multi system failure and years of battling hospitalizations need to understand the words, “enough is enough”, but that is certainly not the case for all!
New research has been done to study how aggressive physicians should be with cholesterol lowering drugs among their elder …read more