Overlap between whites and blacks in response to antihypertensive drugs

On average, whites and blacks differ in their response to specific antihypertensive drugs. These differences are often highlighted in reviews and practice guidelines. However, there is wide variation in drug-associated changes in blood pressure within each race. The goal of this meta-analysis is to quantitate how often whites and blacks have similar responses to specific antihypertensive drugs. Computerized searches of MEDLINE (1983 to March 2003) and manual searches of references listed in identified articles were performed. Studies were included if they provided race-specific changes in blood pressure. Fifteen studies with a total of 9307 white subjects and 2902 black subjects were analyzed. For drug-associated changes in diastolic blood pressure, the mean difference between whites and blacks ranged from 0.6 to 3.0 mm Hg while the standard deviation within each race ranged from 5.0 to 10.1 mm Hg. The percentage of whites and blacks with similar drug-associated changes in diastolic blood pressure was 90% (95% confidence interval: 81 to 99) for diuretics, 90% (95% CI: 83 to 97) for beta-blockers, 95% (95% CI: 92 to 98) for calcium channel blockers, and 81% (95% CI: 76 to 86) for angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. The percentage of whites and blacks with similar drug-associated changes in systolic blood pressure ranged from 83% to 93%. In conclusion, the majority of whites and blacks have similar responses to commonly used antihypertensive drugs. Clinical decisions to use a specific drug should be based on other considerations such as efficacy in individual patients, compelling indications, and cost.