Drugs pointless in mild hypertension
21st August 2012
Antihypertensive drugs provide no benefit for patients with mildly elevated blood pressure, a Cochrane review finds.
Analysing 11 randomised controlled trials, researchers found pharmacotherapy did not reduce total mortality, coronary heart disease or stroke over 4-5 years in patients with mild hypertension and no history of cardiovascular disease.
Around 9% of patients discontinued treatment due to adverse effects, the review found.
