OVERVIEW
The purpose of this page is to take the landmark DASH study titled “Major Outcomes In High-Risk Hypertensive Patients Randomized To Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Or Calcium Channel Blocker Vs. Diuretic” (ALLHAT group 2002, Journal of the American Medical Association) and distill down its major takeaways for clinical practice.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS STUDY?
Really this study looked to compare different anti-hypertensive treatments to elucidate which option medication class is most effective in preventing forms of cardiovascular disease/coronary artery disease/myocardial infarction. Because there are so many options when it comes to blood pressure lowering medications, this study hoped to provide a clear option regarding what should be a first-line antihypertensive medication.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR TAKEAWAYS?
Thiazide diuretics (Chlorthalidone used in the study) should be the preferred first-step antihypertensive therapy
- All cause mortality did not differ between hypertensive treatments
- Thiazide diuretics were better at preventing major forms of cardiovascular disease compared to the ACE inhibitors or CCB medications used in this study.
- Thiazide diuretics are cheaper then the other anti-hypertensive medications.
Page Updated: 08.14.2016