Antihypertensive drugs and blood lipids

Hypertension frequently coexists with hyperlipidaemia and it has been suggested that the potential benefits of blood pressure reduction may be compromised if lipid levels are not concurrently reduced. In addition, conventional first line antihypertensive drugs (thiazide diuretics and beta-blockers) produce adverse changes in blood lipids which are most apparent in the short-term but do not entirely disappear during chronic treatment. Of the alternative first-line antihypertensive agents, the calcium antagonist and ACE inhibitor drugs are lipid 'neutral' but only the alpha 1-blockers have been associated with favourable effects on the lipid profile.