A large new study has found that people with high blood pressure are more likely to stick with their treatment if they start with a specific type of medication called angiotensin receptor blockers, or ARBs.
This could have a big impact on public health, quality of life, and even reduce health care costs.
The study involved more than 340,000 patients in Sweden. These individuals all had high blood pressure but no history of heart disease.
Researchers followed them over several years to see how long they stayed on their original blood pressure medicine. The study was published in the journal eClinicalMedicine and led by researchers from Uppsala University.
High blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease and early death. In Sweden alone, around 1.8 million people have it.
While there are many effective drugs that can lower blood pressure and help people live longer, many patients still stop taking their medicine over time. This often happens because of side effects or because they don’t feel any symptoms and think they don’t need it.
The researchers wanted to find out whether the first blood pressure drug prescribed made a difference in how long patients would stick with their treatment. They focused on the four drug types most commonly recommended: ARBs, ACE inhibitors (ACEi), calcium channel blockers (CCBs), and thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics (TD).
The results were clear. People who started with ARBs were more likely to continue with the same drug over time than people who started with any of the other three options. After five years, 80% of ARB users were still taking the same medicine.
In comparison, only 65% of those who started on calcium channel blockers continued with their original drug, which was the second-best result.
Even among those who stopped taking their original medication, most switched to a different blood pressure drug—often switching to an ARB. This supports the idea that ARBs are easier to tolerate.
One of the reasons why ARBs seem to work better in the long run is that they cause fewer side effects. People are more likely to continue a treatment if it doesn’t make them feel unwell.
Dr. Karl Laurell, one of the lead researchers, explained that sticking to treatment is very important for heart health. He said that continuing medication not only helps people avoid strokes and heart attacks, but it also helps them live longer.
He also pointed out that fewer people dropping out of treatment means lower costs for the healthcare system. If doctors prescribe ARBs from the beginning—unless there’s a medical reason not to—they may see better long-term results for their patients.
Still, even if someone is doing well on their current medication, it’s important to keep checking their blood pressure. As people age, their blood pressure may go up again, and they might need extra medication.
In summary, this study offers strong evidence that choosing the right medicine at the start of treatment can help people stick with it longer, feel better, and stay healthier. It shows the power of getting it right from the beginning.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about common blood pressure medication that may extend your healthy life span and common high blood pressure drug linked to sudden cardiac arrest.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that timing matters when taking high blood pressure pills and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure taking a drug worsen the disease.
The findings are published in eClinicalMedicine.
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