For years doctors have been uncertain what the optimal goal should be for patients with high blood pressure. The aim of course is to bring it down, but how far and how aggressively remained a mystery.

Almost half a century after rigorous studies, researchers still do not know just how low blood pressure should go.

A person who is 5 feet tall has a 30 percent greater chance of developing heart disease than someone who is 5-foot-6, said a lead author of the new study.

After three decades of failure, researchers have found a treatment that greatly improves the prognosis for people having the most severe and disabling strokes.

For the first time since statins have been regularly used, a large study has found that another type of cholesterol-lowering drug can protect people from heart attacks and strokes. The finding can help millions at high risk of heart attacks who cannot...