Outcome guide · four released stories
Heart and circulation
What did these heart studies actually measure?
Read cardiovascular events, mortality, prevention setting and treatment harms as separate outcome lanes.
Follow the governed path
Ask what was measured before comparing the headline.
Every field below is projected from the released path, Evidence at a glance and published-coverage records. The “why this follows” note explains reading order only; it is not an evidence-strength, efficacy, importance or popularity judgment.
Why this follows in the reading path: Start with a trial that measured cardiovascular events and mortality in a defined high-risk population while also recording treatment harms.
- Intervention or exposure
- blood pressure
- Population or model
- 9,361 adults age 50 or older at elevated cardiovascular risk, without diabetes or prior stroke
- Study design and comparator
- large randomized trial
- Measured outcome
- cardiovascular events, mortality, adverse events and cognitive outcomes
- Released bottom line
- Intensive treatment lowered cardiovascular events and mortality in eligible high-risk adults, with more hypotension, electrolyte problems and kidney injury.
- What this evidence did not establish
- SPRINT reduced cardiovascular events—not aging itself
- Evidence scope
- Human clinical outcomes · large randomized trial
Last source verification:
Read the released storyWhy this follows in the reading path: Compare a different primary-prevention population where the cardiovascular result was null and major bleeding increased.
- Intervention or exposure
- low-dose aspirin
- Population or model
- 19,114 community-dwelling older adults without cardiovascular disease at enrollment
- Study design and comparator
- large randomized trial
- Measured outcome
- cardiovascular events · major bleeding
- Released bottom line
- In selected older adults without cardiovascular disease, low-dose aspirin did not significantly reduce the trial’s cardiovascular composite. Major hemorrhage occurred more often.
- What this evidence did not establish
- ASPREE did not lower cardiovascular events—and increased major bleeding
- Evidence scope
- Human cardiovascular and safety outcomes · large randomized trial
Last source verification:
Read the released storyWhy this follows in the reading path: Then see why primary versus secondary prevention, age and baseline risk change what the evidence can support.
- Intervention or exposure
- statins
- Population or model
- Adults age 70 or older across mixed primary- and secondary-prevention settings
- Study design and comparator
- trials and pooled evidence
- Measured outcome
- coronary and vascular events, stroke, mortality, cognition and cancer follow-up
- Released bottom line
- Evidence is clearer after vascular disease than for starting primary prevention after age 75, and it does not establish longer life.
- What this evidence did not establish
- Statin evidence changes with age, risk and prevention setting
- Evidence scope
- Human clinical outcomes · trials and pooled evidence
Last source verification:
Read the released storyWhy this follows in the reading path: Finish with a long mortality follow-up that keeps symptom treatment, disease outcomes and general longevity prevention separate.
- Intervention or exposure
- menopausal hormone therapy
- Population or model
- Postmenopausal women age 50–79, separated by uterus status and hormone regimen
- Study design and comparator
- randomized trials
- Measured outcome
- disease events, breast cancer and all-cause mortality
- Released bottom line
- WHI found a formulation-specific mix of benefits and harms, no overall 18-year mortality difference, and no basis for general longevity prevention.
- What this evidence did not establish
- Menopausal hormone therapy treats symptoms. WHI did not show a longevity benefit
- Evidence scope
- Human disease outcomes and mortality · randomized trials
Last source verification:
Read the released story
Other outcome guides
Keep unlike outcomes in separate lanes.
Each guide contains exactly four already released stories. Counts and order remain descriptive.