Adverse reactions to long-term diuretic therapy for hypertension.

Diuretics are important drugs used in therapy for hypertension. Diuretics have a number of side effects, some of which have long-term consequences. In this study diuretics were used to treat individuals with mild hypertension. Patients receiving diuretics as sole therapy had an increased mortality due to an excess number of deaths from myocardial infarction or sudden death. In patients given alpha-methyldopa or propranolol as well as a diuretic drug, this effect was not observed. The increased mortality may be due to an increased susceptibility to arrhythmias in individuals receiving diuretics, and this was prevented by drugs that interfere with the effects of the sympathetic nervous system.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes