The Effect of Antihypertensive Treatment on Cardiovascular Events──A Meta-Analysis of Four Clinical Trials in China

Objective The pooled results of four large-scale clinical trials of antihypertensive treatments carried out in China were assessed, with an overall study population of 10,457 patients. Methods The fixed effect model was used for data analysis. Results A pooled analysis at the individual level showed that the average time of treatment was 3.4 years, after which an average reduction in blood pressure of 9/4 mmHg was found. The meta-analysis showed that stroke was reduced by 36% (95% CI 25%-46%, %P%<0.001), cardiovascular death and total deaths were reduced by 22% and 20% respectively (P<0.05) and total cardiovascular events were significantly reduced by 33% (P<0.001). However, the reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) was much smaller and was not statistically significant (P>0.05), whereas the significant reduction in stroke was epidemiologically expected. Conclusion The benefit of antihypertensive treatment obtained was mostly due to a reduction in the incidence of stroke.