Thiazide benefit in metabolic syndrome
Patients with metabolic syndrome should receive the same drug treatment for hypertension as other patients, according to a new study in Archives
of Internal Medicine (2008;168:207-17).
The study revealed that patients with the syndrome who were treated with
chlortalidone had a lower rate of heart failure than those treated with
amlodipine, doxazosin and lisinopril.
Thiazide diuretics are the
first-line treatment for most patients with hypertension. However, they
are often not used first-line in patients with the syndrome because they
have an unfavourable metabolic profile.
The authors say the results do not support the use of calcium channel
blockers, ACE inhibitors or alpha-blockers as first-line treatment of
hypertension in patients with the syndrome. However, they note that the
study’s follow-up period was too short for any metabolic effects
to manifest as clinical outcomes.
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Hospital
Pharmacist