Diuretics Do Well in Drug Trial Involving Hypertension and Metabolic Syndrome
?In hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome, initial treatment for hypertension should include a diuretic,? said senior author Barry Davis, M.D.,
Ph.D., professor of biostatistics and the director of the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials at the UT School of Public Health. ?Diuretics are preferred over other major classes of blood pressure medications to prevent one or more forms of cardiovascular disease.?
High blood pressure is one of the risk factors included in the metabolic syndrome along with diabetes or pre-diabetes, excessive belly fat, high triglyceride levels, or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (?good? cholesterol). It is estimated that about 40 percent of adults age 60 years or older can be classified as having the metabolic syndrome.
According to Davis, the James W. Rockwell Professor of Public Health, diuretics, also known as ?water pills,? offered greater protection against cardiovascular disease including heart failure, and were at least as effective for lowering blood pressure when compared to three other classes of blood pressure medications. ?The newer medications tend to produce better glucose and cholesterol values but the diuretics tend to generate better patient outcomes,? he said.
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