Combination therapy is superior to sequential monotherapy for the initial treatment of hypertension: A double blind randomized controlled trial

MacDonald, Thomas M., Williams, Bryan, Webb, David J., Morant, Steve, Caulfield, Mark, Cruickshank, J. Kennedy, Ford, Ian, Sever, Peter, Mackenzie, Isla S., Padmanabhan, Sandosh, McCann, Gerald P., Salsbury, Jackie, McInnes, Gordon and Brown, Morris J. and for The British Hypertension Society Programme of Prevention And Treatment of Hypertension With Algorithm-based Therapy (PATHWAY) (2017) Combination therapy is superior to sequential monotherapy for the initial treatment of hypertension: A double blind randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Heart Association, 6 (11). ISSN 2047-9980

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Abstract

Background: Guidelines for hypertension vary in their preference for initial combination therapy or initial monotherapy, stratified by patient profile; therefore, we compared the efficacy and tolerability of these approaches. Methods and Results: We performed a 1‐year, double‐blind, randomized controlled trial in 605 untreated patients aged 18 to 79 years with systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥150 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥95 mm Hg. In phase 1 (weeks 0–16), patients were randomly assigned to initial monotherapy (losartan 50–100 mg or hydrochlorothiazide 12.5–25 mg crossing over at 8 weeks), or initial combination (losartan 50–100 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5–25 mg). In phase 2 (weeks 17–32), all patients received losartan 100 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 to 25 mg. In phase 3 (weeks 33–52), amlodipine with or without doxazosin could be added to achieve target BP. Hierarchical primary outcomes were the difference from baseline in home systolic BP, averaged over phases 1 and 2 and, if significant, at 32 weeks. Secondary outcomes included adverse events, and difference in home systolic BP responses between tertiles of plasma renin. Home systolic BP after initial monotherapy fell 4.9 mm Hg (range: 3.7–6.0 mm Hg) less over 32 weeks (P<0.001) than after initial combination but caught up at 32 weeks (difference 1.2 mm Hg [range: −0.4 to 2.8 mm Hg], P=0.13). In phase 1, home systolic BP response to each monotherapy differed substantially between renin tertiles, whereas response to combination therapy was uniform and at least 5 mm Hg more than to monotherapy. There were no differences in withdrawals due to adverse events. Conclusions: Initial combination therapy can be recommended for patients with BP >150/95 mm Hg.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	angiotensin ii receptor blocker,comparative effectiveness,diuretics,renin,treatment effectiveness
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	12 Dec 2017 06:06
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2023 15:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/65728
DOI:	10.1161/JAHA.117.006986

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