Stroke study under way in China

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A large clinical trial is under way in China to determine whether reducing blood pressure early improves stroke outcomes.

The INTERACT study is being conducted by the Sydney-based George Institute in International Health.

"Chinese people appear to be at particularly high risk of intra-cerebral hemorrhage," said Craig Anderson, principal investigator. "This is partly due to the high prevalence of high blood pressure in the population and possibly to genetic factors."

Intra-cerebral hemorrhage kills two to three million people every year, most of them in China. Craig said there is no recognized treatment but reducing blood pressure shows promise.