L'etude clinique du mois. L'etude STOP-2 dans l'hypertension arterielle du sujet age.

After the demonstration of the efficacy of beta-blockers or diuretics versus placebo to prevent cardiovascular complications in elderly hypertensive patients in the first STOP-Hypertension study in 1991, a Swedish group published at the end of 1999 the STOP-2 Hypertension study. The latter randomised trial showed in a similar population that the cardiovascular protection of more recent antihypertensive agents such as calcium antagonists and angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors is similar to that of the conventional antihypertensive drugs used in the first study. In fact, the degree of blood pressure control appears to be more important than the type of antihypertensive drugs used, and this conclusion is reinforced by the observation that numerous patients should rapidly be treated by more than one antihypertensive agent to reach blood pressure targets.