A Mississippi doctor says two big studies offer good news to people with high blood pressure. The studies found that cheap drugs already on the market can lower the risk of heart attacks, stroke and death even if people are very old.

Both studies were stopped early so the surprising benefits could be made known. Doctors presented results Monday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Chicago.

Dr. Daniel Jones, a University of Mississippi blood pressure specialist and president of the American Heart Association, says the findings could shape treatment guidelines due to be reviewed in a few months.

Jones said doctors can start with a combination, but few do, partly for lack of evidence.

Researchers say guidelines also may change to reflect a second study that found dramatic benefits for treating people in their 80s, an age when blood pressure drugs were not known to be safe or effective.