Because racial or ethnic differences in response to antihypertensive drug therapies may contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease, this systematic review of 28 studies attempts to (1) identify racial differences in the efficacy of antihypertensive drug therapies and (2) quantify the number and proportion of racial and ethnic minorities participating in these clinical trials.
Of the 28 trials that met the study’s inclusion criteria, only five made interethnic group comparisons. Researchers found that four of the five trials had similar primary outcomes for ethnic minorities and whites.
The authors assert that increased minority participation in future studies is needed to determine optimal prevention therapies, especially in outcome-driven trials that compare multi-drug antihypertensive treatment regimens.
Race and Ethnicity in Trials of Antihypertensive Therapy to Prevent Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review
By Ina U. Park, M.D., and Anne L. Taylor, M.D.