JEDDAH, 1 July 2004 — Doctors in Riyadh and Jeddah participated in a series of medical seminars yesterday, aimed at sharing new data about effective treatments for hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes.
Saudi Arabia was selected as one of the first areas in the world for a medical education program of this kind, because of the rising incidence of hypertension and diabetes.
In 2004, over 3.5 million diabetes type II sufferers were registered in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia is seen as one of the “hotspots.”
In the sessions, doctors were briefed on the results of one of the world’s largest clinical trials, which studied the effect of two different treatment regimens on 15,245 high blood pressure patients. The VALUE (Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-term Use Evaluation) study compared two blood pressure medication-based regimens, Diovan (valsartan) and amlodipine. It focused on patients at high risk for cardiovascular complications, either due to coexisting diseases or risk factors such as diabetes, a history of stroke, or coronary artery disease.
“One of the key findings of the recent VALUE trial is that Diovan can offer added benefit in terms of reducing the new onset of diabetes in hypertensive patients,” said Dr. Hassan Sandokji, consultant cardiologist at the Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Riyadh, who took part in one of the sessions.
The VALUE study also highlights the need for earlier and more aggressive treatment of high blood pressure for patients at high risk, to help protect them from adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
High blood pressure is a public health crisis, affecting one billion people worldwide, or one-sixth of the world population. In spite of available effective treatments, nearly 70 percent of those with high blood pressure do not have it adequately controlled. Uncontrolled high blood pressure leads to life-threatening health problems such as heart attacks, heart failure and other potentially fatal events.
In a previous study on Diovan, which is produced by Novartis pharmaceutical company, it proved that in addition to double-digit blood pressure reductions and superior tolerability, patient persistency and patient compliance, Diovan also has cardio-protective benefits beyond lowering blood pressure.
