Chronic hypertension medical therapy
Hypertension Main page |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-in-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.D.; Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Taylor Palmieri
Overview
There are many classes of medications for treating hypertension, together called antihypertensives, which by varying means act by lowering blood pressure. Evidence suggests that reduction of the blood pressure by 5-6 mmHg can decrease the risk of stroke by 40%, of coronary heart disease by 15-20%, and reduces the likelihood of dementia, heart failure, and mortality from vascular disease.
Medical Management
The aim of treatment should be blood pressure control to lower than 140/90 mmHg for most patients, and lower in certain contexts such as diabetes or kidney disease (some medical professionals recommend keeping levels below 120/80 mmHg).[2] Each added drug may reduce the systolic blood pressure by 5-10 mmHg, so often multiple drugs are necessary to achieve blood pressure control.
Commonly used drugs
- ACE inhibitors such as captopril, enalapril, fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Zestril), quinapril, ramipril (Altace)
- Angiotensin II receptor antagonists: eg, telmisartan (Micardis, Pritor), irbesartan (Avapro), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), candesartan (Atacand)
- Alpha blockers such as doxazosin, prazosin, or terazosin
- Beta blockers such as atenolol, labetalol, metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL), propranolol.
- Calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine (Adalat®)[1] amlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem, verapamil
- Direct renin inhibitors such as aliskiren (Tekturna)
- Diuretics: eg, bendroflumethiazide, chlortalidone, hydrochlorothiazide (also called HCTZ)
- Combination products (which usually contain HCTZ and one other drug)
Influence of age and race on medication efficacy
- A randomized controlled trial by the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on Antihypertensive Agents reported the influence of patient age and race on the proportion of patients whose blood pressure was controlled by different agents.[2][3]
- For example:
- Less than 7% of young white patients responded to a diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide)
- Only 6% of older black patients responded to an ACE inhibitor (captopril)
Choice of initial medication
Which type of many medications should be used initially for hypertension has been the subject of several large studies and various national guidelines.
Regarding cardiovascular outcomes, the ALLHAT study showed a slightly better outcome and cost-effectiveness for the thiazide diuretic chlortalidone compared to other anti-hypertensives in an ethnically mixed population.[6]
Whilst a subsequent smaller study (ANBP2) did not show this small difference in outcome and actually showed a slightly better outcome for ACE-inhibitors in older white male patients.[7]
Whilst thiazides are cheap, effective, and recommended as the best first-line drug for hypertension by many experts, they are not prescribed as often as some newer drugs. Arguably, this is because they are off-patent and thus rarely promoted by the drug industry.[8] Due to their metabolic impact (hypercholesterinemia, impairment of glucose tolerance, increased risk of developing Diabetes mellitus type 2), the use of thiazides as first line treatment for essential hypertension has been repeatedly questioned and strongly disencouraged.[9] [10] [11]
Physicians may start with non-thiazide antihypertensive medications if there is a compelling reason to do so. An example is the use of ACE-inhibitors in diabetic patients who have evidence of kidney disease, as they have been shown to both reduce blood pressure and slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy.[12] In patients with coronary artery disease or a history of a heart attack, beta blockers and ACE-inhibitors both lower blood pressure and protect heart muscle over a lifetime, leading to reduced mortality.
Advice in the United Kingdom
The risk of beta-blockers provoking type 2 diabetes led to their downgrading to fourth-line therapy in the United Kingdom in June 2006[13], in the revised national guidelines.[14]
Advice in the United States
The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) in the United States recommends starting with a thiazide diuretic if single therapy is being initiated and another medication is not indicated.
African Americans
African-Americans respond well to hydralazine and nitrates. They often have low renin hypertension and do not respond well to ACE inhibitors and ARBs. They respond well to diuretics.
JNC- Seventh Report Recommendations: Medical Management [15]
Compelling Indication | Recommended Drugs | Clinical Trial Basis |
Heart failure | Diuretics, Beta blockers, ACEIs, ARBs, Aldosterone antagonist | ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guideline [16]; MERIT-HF [17]; COPERNICUS [18]; CIBIS [19]; SOLVD [20]; AIRE [21]; TRACE [22]; ValHEFT [23]; RALES [24] |
Post-Myocardial infarction | Beta blockers, ACEIs, Aldosterone antagonist | ACC/AHA Post-MI Guideline [25]; BHAT [26]; SAVE [27]; Capricorn [28]; EPHESUS [29] |
High coronary disease risk | Diuretics, Beta blockers, ACEIs, CCBs, | ALLHAT [6]; HOPE [30]; ANBP2 [7]; LIFE [31]; CONVINCE [32] |
Diabetes | Diuretics, Beta blockers, ACEIs, ARBs, CCBs | NKF-ADA Guideline [33][34]; UKPDS [35]; ALLHAT [6] |
Chronic kidney disease | ACEIs, ARBs | NFK Guideline [34]; Captopril Trial [36]; RENAAL [37]; IDNT [38]; REIN [39]; AASK [40] |
Recurrent stroke prevention | Diuretics, ACEIs | PROGRESS [41] |
Guidelines Resources
References
- ↑ Kragten JA, Dunselman PHJM. Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) in the treatment of coronary heart disease and hypertension. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 5 (2007):643-653. FULL TEXT!
- ↑ Materson BJ, Reda DJ, Cushman WC; et al. (1993). "Single-drug therapy for hypertension in men. A comparison of six antihypertensive agents with placebo. The Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on Antihypertensive Agents". N. Engl. J. Med. 328 (13): 914–21. PMID 8446138.
- ↑ Materson BJ, Reda DJ (1994). "Correction: single-drug therapy for hypertension in men". N. Engl. J. Med. 330 (23): 1689. PMID 8177286. Summary
- ↑ Blaufox MD, Lee HB, Davis B, Oberman A, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Langford H (1992). "Renin predicts diastolic blood pressure response to nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapy". JAMA. 267 (9): 1221–5. PMID 1538559.
- ↑ Preston RA, Materson BJ, Reda DJ; et al. (1998). "Age-race subgroup compared with renin profile as predictors of blood pressure response to antihypertensive therapy. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on Antihypertensive Agents". JAMA. 280 (13): 1168–72. PMID 9777817.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 ALLHAT Officers and Coordinators for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (2002) Major outcomes in high-risk hypertensive patients randomized to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or calcium channel blocker vs diuretic: The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). JAMA 288 (23):2981-97. PMID: 12479763
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Wing LM, Reid CM, Ryan P, Beilin LJ, Brown MA, Jennings GL et al. (2003) A comparison of outcomes with angiotensin-converting--enzyme inhibitors and diuretics for hypertension in the elderly. N Engl J Med 348 (7):583-92. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa021716 PMID: 12584366
- ↑ Wang TJ, Ausiello JC, Stafford RS (1999) Trends in antihypertensive drug advertising, 1985-1996. Circulation 99 (15):2055-7. PMID: 10209012
- ↑ Lewis PJ, Kohner EM, Petrie A, Dollery CT (1976). "Deterioration of glucose tolerance in hypertensive patients on prolonged diuretic treatment". Lancet. 307 (7959): 564–566. PMID 55840.
- ↑ Murphy MB, Lewis PJ, Kohner E, Schumer B, Dollery CT (1982). "Glucose intolerance in hypertensive patients treated with diuretics; a fourteen-year follow-up". Lancet. 320 (8311): 1293–1295. PMID 6128594.
- ↑ Messerli FH, Williams B,Ritz E (2007). "Essential hypertension". Lancet. 370 (9587): 591–603. PMID.
- ↑ Ruggenenti P, Perna A, Gherardi G, Gaspari F, Benini R, Remuzzi G (1998) Renal function and requirement for dialysis in chronic nephropathy patients on long-term ramipril: REIN follow-up trial. Gruppo Italiano di Studi Epidemiologici in Nefrologia (GISEN). Ramipril Efficacy in Nephropathy. Lancet 352 (9136):1252-6. PMID: 9788454
- ↑ Sheetal Ladva (28/06/2006). "NICE and BHS launch updated hypertension guideline". National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Check date values in:
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(help) - ↑ "Hypertension: management of hypertension in adults in primary care" (PDF). National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
- ↑ Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL et al. (2003) Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension 42 (6):1206-52. DOI:10.1161/01.HYP.0000107251.49515.c2 PMID: 14656957
- ↑ Hunt SA, Baker DW, Chin MH, Cinquegrani MP, Feldman AM, Francis GS et al. (2001) ACC/AHA guidelines for the evaluation and management of chronic heart failure in the adult: executive summary. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee to revise the 1995 Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Heart Failure). J Am Coll Cardiol 38 (7):2101-13. PMID: 11738322
- ↑ Tepper D (1999) Frontiers in congestive heart failure: Effect of Metoprolol CR/XL in chronic heart failure: Metoprolol CR/XL Randomised Intervention Trial in Congestive Heart Failure (MERIT-HF). Congest Heart Fail 5 (4):184-185. PMID: 12189311
- ↑ Packer M, Coats AJ, Fowler MB, Katus HA, Krum H, Mohacsi P et al. (2001) Effect of carvedilol on survival in severe chronic heart failure. N Engl J Med 344 (22):1651-8. DOI:10.1056/NEJM200105313442201 PMID: 11386263
- ↑ (1994) A randomized trial of beta-blockade in heart failure. The Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS). CIBIS Investigators and Committees. Circulation 90 (4):1765-73. PMID: 7923660
- ↑ (1991) Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure. The SOLVD Investigators. N Engl J Med 325 (5):293-302. DOI:10.1056/NEJM199108013250501 PMID: 2057034
- ↑ (1993) Effect of ramipril on mortality and morbidity of survivors of acute myocardial infarction with clinical evidence of heart failure. The Acute Infarction Ramipril Efficacy (AIRE) Study Investigators. Lancet 342 (8875):821-8. PMID: 8104270
- ↑ Køber L, Torp-Pedersen C, Carlsen JE, Bagger H, Eliasen P, Lyngborg K et al. (1995) A clinical trial of the angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor trandolapril in patients with left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction. Trandolapril Cardiac Evaluation (TRACE) Study Group. N Engl J Med 333 (25):1670-6. DOI:10.1056/NEJM199512213332503 PMID: 7477219
- ↑ Cohn JN, Tognoni G, Valsartan Heart Failure Trial Investigators (2001) A randomized trial of the angiotensin-receptor blocker valsartan in chronic heart failure. N Engl J Med 345 (23):1667-75. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa010713 PMID: 11759645
- ↑ Pitt B, Zannad F, Remme WJ, Cody R, Castaigne A, Perez A et al. (1999) The effect of spironolactone on morbidity and mortality in patients with severe heart failure. Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study Investigators. N Engl J Med 341 (10):709-17. DOI:10.1056/NEJM199909023411001 PMID: 10471456
- ↑ Braunwald E, Antman EM, Beasley JW, Califf RM, Cheitlin MD, Hochman JS et al. (2002) ACC/AHA 2002 guideline update for the management of patients with unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction--summary article: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines (Committee on the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina). J Am Coll Cardiol 40 (7):1366-74. PMID: 12383588
- ↑ (1982) A randomized trial of propranolol in patients with acute myocardial infarction. I. Mortality results. JAMA 247 (12):1707-14. PMID: 7038157
- ↑ Hager WD, Davis BR, Riba A, Moye LA, Wun CC, Rouleau JL et al. (1998) Absence of a deleterious effect of calcium channel blockers in patients with left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction: The SAVE Study Experience. SAVE Investigators. Survival and Ventricular Enlargement. Am Heart J 135 (3):406-13. PMID: 9506325
- ↑ Dargie HJ (2001) Effect of carvedilol on outcome after myocardial infarction in patients with left-ventricular dysfunction: the CAPRICORN randomised trial. Lancet 357 (9266):1385-90. PMID: 11356434
- ↑ Pitt B, Remme W, Zannad F, Neaton J, Martinez F, Roniker B et al. (2003) Eplerenone, a selective aldosterone blocker, in patients with left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 348 (14):1309-21. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa030207 PMID: 12668699
- ↑ Yusuf S, Sleight P, Pogue J, Bosch J, Davies R, Dagenais G (2000) Effects of an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, on cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators. N Engl J Med 342 (3):145-53. DOI:10.1056/NEJM200001203420301 PMID: 10639539
- ↑ Dahlöf B, Devereux RB, Kjeldsen SE, Julius S, Beevers G, de Faire U et al. (2002) Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension study (LIFE): a randomised trial against atenolol. Lancet 359 (9311):995-1003. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08089-3 PMID: 11937178
- ↑ Black HR, Elliott WJ, Grandits G, Grambsch P, Lucente T, White WB et al. (2003) Principal results of the Controlled Onset Verapamil Investigation of Cardiovascular End Points (CONVINCE) trial. JAMA 289 (16):2073-82. DOI:10.1001/jama.289.16.2073 PMID: 12709465
- ↑ Arauz-Pacheco C, Parrott MA, Raskin P, American Diabetes Association (2003) Treatment of hypertension in adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care 26 Suppl 1 ():S80-2. PMID: 12502624
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 National Kidney Foundation (2002) K/DOQI clinical practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease: evaluation, classification, and stratification. Am J Kidney Dis 39 (2 Suppl 1):S1-266. PMID: 11904577
- ↑ (1998) Efficacy of atenolol and captopril in reducing risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes: UKPDS 39. UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group. BMJ 317 (7160):713-20. PMID: 9732338
- ↑ Lewis EJ, Hunsicker LG, Bain RP, Rohde RD (1993) The effect of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibition on diabetic nephropathy. The Collaborative Study Group. N Engl J Med 329 (20):1456-62. DOI:10.1056/NEJM199311113292004 PMID: 8413456
- ↑ Brenner BM, Cooper ME, de Zeeuw D, Keane WF, Mitch WE, Parving HH et al. (2001) Effects of losartan on renal and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. N Engl J Med 345 (12):861-9. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa011161 PMID: 11565518
- ↑ Lewis EJ, Hunsicker LG, Clarke WR, Berl T, Pohl MA, Lewis JB et al. (2001) Renoprotective effect of the angiotensin-receptor antagonist irbesartan in patients with nephropathy due to type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med 345 (12):851-60. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa011303 PMID: 11565517
- ↑ (1997) Randomised placebo-controlled trial of effect of ramipril on decline in glomerular filtration rate and risk of terminal renal failure in proteinuric, non-diabetic nephropathy. The GISEN Group (Gruppo Italiano di Studi Epidemiologici in Nefrologia) Lancet 349 (9069):1857-63. PMID: 9217756
- ↑ Wright JT, Agodoa L, Contreras G, Greene T, Douglas JG, Lash J et al. (2002) Successful blood pressure control in the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension. Arch Intern Med 162 (14):1636-43. PMID: 12123409
- ↑ PROGRESS Collaborative Group (2001) Randomised trial of a perindopril-based blood-pressure-lowering regimen among 6,105 individuals with previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Lancet 358 (9287):1033-41. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(01)06178-5 PMID: 11589932