Does combination therapy with valsartan and amlodipine improve cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events and blood pressure control compared to monotherapy in high-risk hypertensive patients?
In high-risk hypertensive patients, combination therapy with valsartan and amlodipine may provide better blood pressure control and vascular outcomes than monotherapy.
This observational matched cohort study evaluated the combined use of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in high-risk hypertensive patients to optimize treatment strategies. A total of 330 high-risk hypertensive patients treated between 2018 and 2024 were identified from the cardiovascular department database. Propensity score matching was applied to balance baseline characteristics, yielding three matched groups (n = 110 each): ARB monotherapy (valsartan 80 mg once daily), CCB monotherapy (amlodipine 5 mg once daily), and combination therapy (valsartan/amlodipine 80/5 mg once daily). Data were collected through medical record review, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, vascular and cardiac ultrasound, electrocardiography, pulse wave velocity measurement, and SF-36 questionnaires. Primary outcomes were cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events and blood pressure control; secondary outcomes included vascular function, cardiac performance, arterial elasticity, and quality of life. All procedures followed standardized protocols, and adverse events were systematically recorded. The findings suggest that the combination therapy was associated with advantages in blood pressure control and vascular outcomes, though further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these observations.
GAO et al. (Thu,) studied this question.