geoffrey modest medical blogs

  A recent Chinese study found that changing regular salt to a salt substitute with 75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride in patients with a prior stroke was associated with a reduced risk of stroke recurrence and death: see   htn salt substitute dec stroke JAMAcardiol2025  in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2024.5417, in a subgroup analysis of the SSaSS   study  (Salt Substitute and Stroke Study)   Details: --15,249 people who had had a self-reported stroke in 600 Northern Chinese villages in this open-label, cluster randomized clinical trial     -- these villages were randomized to either continuing regular salt (100% sodium chloride) versus a salt substitute (75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride) --baseline data was collected on participants of their demographics, disease history, medication use, and salt-related knowledge and behaviors; also 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretions were measured alon...

  An international trial found that attempts to reduce dietary sodium to <1500 mg/d in ambulatory heart failure patients did not reduce clinical events, in the Sodium-HF trial ( see  chf sodium restriction not help Lancet2022  in dropbox or doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(22)00369-5 )      Details:  -- 806 patients from 26 sites in six countries who had chronic pretty severe heart failure (NYHA functional class 2-3) and on optimally tolerated guideline-directed medical treatment were randomized in an open-label trial to a low-sodium diet (<100mmol, which is equivalent to 1500mg/d), versus usual care, from 2014-2020  -- median age 67, 33% women, 58% from Canada/20% Australia and New Zealand/22% from Mexico Chile and Colombia, 50% ever smokers/50% never smokers, BMI 30, heart rate 69, blood pressure 118/70  -- 68% diagnosed with heart failure for >1 year, 33% hospitalized for heart failure in the past 12 months, ejection fraction 36% ...