First-line drugs for hypertension

Review of: Wright JM, Musini VM, Gill R. First-line drugs for hypertension (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018;4:10.1002/14651858.CD001841.pub3. Commentary by: Dr Elizabeth Adeyeye and Dr Teck Khong, Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, London, UK Series Editor: Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor, Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, London, UK ### Key learning points Low-dose thiazide diuretics are effective in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with moderate-to-severe primary hypertension in adults.1 Hypertension remains a leading contributor to the burden of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This Cochrane systemic review has updated the original meta-analysis published in 2009 and the authors have assessed the outcomes associated with the main groups of antihypertensive drugs with the aim of establishing which should be used first-line.1 2 It did not include any new or additional studies and has confirmed the conclusions from the original review. The authors evaluated the evidence on morbidity and mortality when six of the …