To the Editor: The publication of the main results of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), and the accompanying editorial, triumph the role of thiazide diuretics as first-line management for hypertension.1,2 It brought to mind the lines from the nursery rhyme Old Mother Hubbard — "And when she went there, the cupboard was bare."
Correspondence:
- 1. Appel L. The verdict from ALLHAT — thiazide diuretics are the preferred initial therapy for hypertension. JAMA 2002; 288: 3039-3042.
- 2. The ALLHAT Officers and Coordinators for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Major outcomes in high-risk hypertensive patients randomized to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or calcium channel blocker vs diuretic. The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). JAMA 2002; 288: 2981-2997.
- 3. Australian Medicines Handbook, 1st edition. Adelaide: Australian Medicines Handbook Pty Ltd, 1998.
- 4. Australian Medicines Handbook, 4th edition. Adelaide: Australian Medicines Handbook Pty Ltd, 2003.
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