Antihypertensive drug effects on long-term blood pressure: an individual-level data meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.

Pubmed ID: 35058294

Pubmed Central ID: PMC9340038

Journal: Heart (British Cardiac Society)

Publication Date: July 27, 2022

MeSH Terms: Humans, Male, Female, Aged, Cardiovascular Diseases, Hypertension, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Blood Pressure, Diabetes Mellitus, Antihypertensive Agents

Grants: PG/18/65/33872, FS/19/36/34346

Authors: Lubsen J, Pitt B, Patel A, Rodgers A, Woodward M, Woodward M, Woodward M, Davis BR, Davis BR, Davis BR, Davis BR, Neal B, Collins R, Imai Y, MacMahon S, Ohkubo T, Sundström J, Sundström J, Sundström J, Lindholm LH, Fagard R, Staessen JA, Pfeffer MA, Yusuf S, Wang J, Chalmers J, Chalmers J, Farzadfar F, Farzadfar F, Rahimi K, Rahimi K, Rahimi K, Poulter NR, Asselbergs FW, Cushman WC, Whelton P, Cutler J, Dwyer JP, Dwyer JP, Dwyer JP, Kostis J, Anderson C, Byington RP, Teo K, Holman RR, Zanchetti A, Sever P, Ogihara T, Pepine CJ, Pepine CJ, Gupta AK, Salam A, Salam A, Canoy D, Canoy D, Nazarzadeh M, Nazarzadeh M, Salimi-Khorshidi G, Algra A, Brown M, Bulpitt CJ, Devereaux RB, Estacio R, Fox K, Fukui T, Ishii M, Julius S, Kanno Y, Kjeldsen SE, Kuramoto K, Lanke J, Lewis E, Lievre M, Lueders S, Matsuzaki M, Mehlum MH, Nissen S, Ogawa H, Rakugi H, Remuzzi G, Ruggenenti P, Saruta T, Schrader J, Schrier R, Thijs L, Ueshima K, Umemoto S, Verdecchia P, Wachtell K, Wing L, Yui Y, Beckett NS, Copland E, Copland E, Ramakrishnan R, Ramakrishnan R, Adler A, Brouwers FPJ, Mancia G, Reboldi G, Reid C, Zhang ZY, Baigent C, Brenner BM, de Zeeuw D, Malacco E, Perkovic V, Rothwell P, Turnbull F, Viberti G, Pinho-Gomes AC, Pinho-Gomes AC, Lewis JB, Palmer CR, Suzuk H, Hvan Gilst W

Cite As: Canoy D, Copland E, Nazarzadeh M, Ramakrishnan R, Pinho-Gomes AC, Salam A, Dwyer JP, Farzadfar F, Sundström J, Woodward M, Davis BR, Rahimi K, Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration, Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists Collaboration. Antihypertensive drug effects on long-term blood pressure: an individual-level data meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Heart 2022 Jul 27;108(16):1281-1289.

Studies:

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Evidence from randomised trials of pharmacological treatments on long-term blood pressure (BP) reduction is limited. We investigated the antihypertensive drug effects on BP over time and across different participant characteristics. METHODS: We conducted an individual patient-level data meta-analysis of 52 large-scale randomised clinical trials in the Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration using mixed models to examine treatment effects on BP over 4 years of mean follow-up. RESULTS: There were 363 684 participants (42% women), with baseline mean age=65 years and mean systolic/diastolic BP=152/87 mm Hg, and among whom 19% were current smokers, 49% had cardiovascular disease, 28% had diabetes and 69% were taking antihypertensive treatment at baseline. Drugs were effective in lowering BP showing maximal effect after 12 months and gradually attenuating towards later years. Based on measures taken ≥12 months postrandomisation, mean systolic/diastolic BP difference (95% CI) between more and less intense BP-lowering treatment was -11.1 (-11.3 to -10.8)/-5.6 (-5.7 to -5.4) mm Hg; between active treatment and placebo was -5.1 (-5.3 to -5.0)/-2.3 (-2.4 to -2.2) mm Hg; and between active and control arms for drug comparison trials was -1.4 (-1.5 to -1.3)/-0.6 (-0.7 to -0.6) mm Hg. BP reductions were observed across different baseline BP values and ages, and by sex, history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and prior antihypertensive treatment use. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that BP-lowering pharmacotherapy is effective in lowering BP, up to 4 years on average, in people with different characteristics. Appropriate treatment strategies are needed to sustain substantive long-term BP reductions.