Study finds no association between BP drugs and falls

UK: There is no association between antihypertensive treatment and falls, suggests a recent review in the journal BMJ. The researchers, however, did find an evidence of association between blood pressure drugs and mild (hypotension, hyperkalaemia) and severe adverse events (syncope, acute kidney injury).

The findings could be useful to inform shared decision making between doctors and patients about initiation and continuation of antihypertensive treatment, particularly in patients at high risk of harm because of poor renal function or previous adverse events.

Ali Albasri, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, and colleagues aimed to examine the association between antihypertensive treatment and specific adverse events in this systematic review and meta-analysis.

For the purpose, the researchers searched online databases from inception until 14 April 2020. It included randomised controlled trials of adults receiving antihypertensives compared with placebo or no treatment, more antihypertensive drugs compared with fewer antihypertensive drugs, or higher blood pressure targets compared with lower targets. Studies were required to have at least 650 patient years of follow-up.