Could Quarter-Dose Regimens Be Alternatives to Standard Antihypertensive Treatment?

A meta-analysis weighs the potential of a lower adverse-effect burden against possibly different decreases in blood pressure.

Quarter-dose antihypertensive therapy — that is, treatment using one fourth of a standard dose of one or more antihypertensive medications — has been proposed as a way to help control blood pressure with fewer side effects than standard treatment. Now, researchers have conducted a meta-analysis to examine this concept and the efficacy of several quarter-dose strategies.

The analysis included 42 randomized, controlled trials of approximately 20,000 adults (mean baseline blood pressure, 154/101 mm Hg). Among the findings:

Quarter-dose therapy with a single antihypertensive agent lowered blood pressure relative to placebo (−4.7/−2.4 mm Hg) but was less efficacious than standard-dose monotherapy.
Quarter-dose therapy with two agents lowered blood …

Reviewing Author

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime

EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science

Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime

EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science

Could Quarter-Dose Regimens Be Alternatives to Standard Antihypertensive Treatment?

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Reviewing Author