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The Role of Combination Therapy for Hypertension After ACCOMPLISH

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Abstract

Hypertension treatment and control has been a critical clinical health intervention strategy for over four decades but has had less than optimal success. Through seven reports of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, hypertension treatment recommendations have been modified for maximum blood pressure reduction according to current evidence. Although new classes of antihypertensive medications have been developed, combination therapy has been shown to have additional value for blood pressure reduction. Thiazide diuretics were most often considered the second agent in the combination. The Avoiding Cardiovascular Events through Combination Therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension (ACCOMPLISH) trial compared combination therapy with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor plus amlodipine to the combination of an ACE and thiazide diuretic. It determined the combination of benazepril plus amlodipine is superior to the combination of benazepril plus hydrochlorothiazide in the reduction of cardiovascular events among hypertensive patients. These results increase the numbers of options for combination therapy in treating high blood pressure.

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Disclosure

Dr. Lackland is on the Speaker’s Bureau for Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis and is a consultant for Pfizer.

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  1. Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Harborview Office Tower, Suite 501, Charleston, SC, 20425, USA

    Daniel T. Lackland

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Correspondence to Daniel T. Lackland.

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Lackland, D.T. The Role of Combination Therapy for Hypertension After ACCOMPLISH. Curr Cardio Risk Rep 4, 251–255 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-010-0101-0

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