title: The Losartan Intervention for Endpoint Reduction (LIFE) trial-have angiotensin-receptor blockers come of age?
abstract: The Losartan Intervention for Endpoint Reduction trial is one of several end-point trials that are now available with angiotensin-receptor blockers. This trial compared two regimens-losartan-based therapy to atenolol-based therapy-in 9193 hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy. In the instance of each of these therapeutic groups, hydrochlorothiazide add-on therapy was permitted as per protocol. Although blood pressures were comparably reduced in both the losartan and the atenolol-based treatment groups, stroke rate was notably less in the losartan-treatment group. The 1195 patient diabetic cohort in this trial also experienced a substantial reduction in total and cardiovascular mortality favoring losartan. An additional finding in this trial was that new-onset diabetes developed 25% less frequently in the losartan-treated group. The results of this trial are both interesting and relevant to what is an expanding use of angiotensin-receptor blockers in the hypertensive population.
authors.affiliation: Section of Clinical Pharmacology and Hypertension, Division of Nephrology, Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298, USA. dsica@hsc.vcu.edu
authors.forename: Domenic A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sica
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019808:Losartan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D014527:Uric Acid; D019808:Losartan