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Calcium antagonists not best for first line therapy for hypertension

BMJ 2000; 321 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7275.1490/b (Published 16 December 2000) Cite this as: BMJ 2000;321:1490
  1. David Spurgeon
  1. Quebec

    A meta-analysis of trials involving 27 743 people has shown that calcium antagonists are inferior to other types of antihypertensive drugs as first line agents in reducing the risks of several major complications of hypertension, although they are equally effective in reducing blood pressure.

    In an article in the Lancet, the researchers (from Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina; the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York) concluded that “the longer-acting calcium antagonists cannot be recommended as first-line therapy for hypertension.”

    Lead researcher Marco Pahor, professor of medicine at Wake Forest University's Baptist …

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