The Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$166,250.00
Summary
Treatments that lower blood pressure are well known to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, and several different classes of blood pressure lowering drug are now widely used. While all the main classes of drug offer protection against serious complications, it is possible that one drug class may be better than the others. However, whether this is so remains uncertain and cannot be reliably determined by any one single study. The Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration i ....Treatments that lower blood pressure are well known to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, and several different classes of blood pressure lowering drug are now widely used. While all the main classes of drug offer protection against serious complications, it is possible that one drug class may be better than the others. However, whether this is so remains uncertain and cannot be reliably determined by any one single study. The Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration is a large international project led by a group of Australian researchers based at the Institute for International Health in Sydney. The aim of the project is to systematically gather together sufficient information from large-scale studies to make it possible to answer important outstanding questions about the effects of different classes of blood pressure lowering drugs on major outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke. The Collaboration includes many of the leading blood pressure researchers from around the world and will combine data from more than 30 trials and over 200,000 individuals. On the basis of the overview results it should be possible to provide doctors with important new information about the best blood pressure lowering treatment for their patients. A previous review of the effects of blood pressure drugs completed by the same group was published in The Lancet in 2000, and has been an important aid to many professional and regulatory groups in the year since. Reliable information about the effects of different classes of blood pressure lowering drugs is of great importance. Even if differences between the effects of different classes of drug are small, the implications for the prevention of blood pressure-related complications would be substantial because of the very large numbers of people taking them, worldwide. This collaborative overview project offers a unique opportunity to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information on the subject.Read moreRead less
This study will provide highly reliable information about the use of tight blood glucose control in critically ill patients. It involves an international collaboration between opinion leaders in this field and uses sophisticated statistical methods to combine data from all the clinical trials in this area. The study will clarify many of the current clinical questions about tight glucose control during critical illness, informing practice guidelines in Australia and around the world.
Blood Pressure Lowering In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: Evidence From Prospectively Planned Overview Analyses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$257,271.00
Summary
This study will provide highly reliable information about the best way of managing blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease. It will use sophisticated methods to summarize information from 25 large clinical trials and 160,000 participants to determine whether lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of heart disease and further kidney damage.The study will also determine whether currently recommended blood pressure drugs are those which will provide the most benefit.
Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents are used to correct the anaemia associated with kidney disease, and cost Australia around $100m in 2004. The optimal target haemoglobin remains the subject of intense debate despite several large trials in the area. This project will use pooled data from these trials to provide a definitive analysis of the overall harms and benefits associated with different targets for the first time and will guide the use of these expensive drugs to maximise patient benefit.
Magnesium Sulphate In Women At Risk Of Preterm Birth For Fetal Neuroprotection - An Individual Patient Data Review
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,002.00
Summary
Infants born preterm are at high risk of dying and survivors have a higher risk of neurological problems. Evidence suggests that giving magnesium sulphate to women at risk of preterm birth prior to delivery reduces cerebral palsy in surviving children. It is unclear which women may benefit, what dose and when prior to birth should magnesium sulphate be given. This review will determine how individual women should be treated with magnesium to help protect the brain of a baby born too soon.
Collaborative Overview Of Cohort Studies Of Cardiovascular Diseases In The Asia Pacific Region
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,388.00
Summary
Throughout Asia and the Pacific, cardiovascular diseases are now a leading cause of death and disability. However, most information about the causes of these diseases comes from studies conducted in North America and Europe, and there are few data available from the Asia Pacific region. Because patterns of cardiovascular diseases and levels of risk factors are very different in the West and East, it is possible that important differences exist in the relative contribution of different factors to ....Throughout Asia and the Pacific, cardiovascular diseases are now a leading cause of death and disability. However, most information about the causes of these diseases comes from studies conducted in North America and Europe, and there are few data available from the Asia Pacific region. Because patterns of cardiovascular diseases and levels of risk factors are very different in the West and East, it is possible that important differences exist in the relative contribution of different factors to disease occurrence in different regions. For example, an earlier project, from which the current study evolved, demonstrated that the association of blood pressure with stroke was about two times steeper in China and Japan than in the West. The present project has been initiated to further investigate the causes of common cardiovascular diseases in populations of the Asia Pacific region. It will involve more than 40 studies conducted in at least 9 countries from the region. These studies include more than 500,000 individuals followed for an average of 8-9 years. Data from 30 studies involving 450,000 individuals has already been provided to the applicants. Analyses will be conducted to provide region-, age-and sex-specific estimates of the effects various risk factors on several types of cardiovascular diseases. The risk factors of interest include: blood pressure, total cholesterol and its subfractions, triglycerides, diabetes, obesity, alcohol consumption, occupation and education. In addition to providing more precise estimates of the effects of established risk factors such as blood pressure, this project will, provide new data on several other risk factors not well investigated in this region. The results should be of importance in determining priorities for cardiovascular disease prevention. They should also be of relevance for predicting changes in the extent of the cardiovascular disease epidemics facing countries in the region.Read moreRead less