Hypertension Treatment Shouldn't Be Tailored to Patient Adiposity

Hypertension is more common in obese patients than in lean ones, and its pathophysiology might differ depending on adiposity. Recent studies have suggested that the effectiveness of certain antihypertensive medications to prevent major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events varies with patient weight (NEJM JW Gen Med Mar 21 2013). To assess this hypothesis, investigators examined patient-level data, including body-mass index (BMI), from 22 studies (>135,000 patients), in which researchers compared antihypertensive regimens with placebo or other antihypertensive drugs or compared regimens of greater or lesser intensity. Comparative effectiveness was analyzed in subgroups of lean, overweight, and obese patients (BMI ranges: <25, 25–30, and ≥30 kg…