Antihypertensive drugs and the risk of fall injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of published studies was performed to determine whether administration of any of five antihypertensive drug classes (thiazide diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers and β-blockers) affected the risk of fall injuries in the elderly (aged ≥60 years).

Articles reporting the risk of fall injury in elderly people being treated with the five main classes of antihypertensive drugs were retrieved using MEDLINE®, EMBASE, SCOPUS® and the Cochrane Database. Trial eligibility and methodological quality were assessed before data extraction and analysed using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.

Sixty-two articles, included in two meta-analyses, were identified. These meta-analyses drew opposite conclusions about the role of antihypertensive drugs in fall injuries in the elderly. However, the present analysis did not reveal a clear association (or the lack of one) between antihypertensive drugs and risk of fall injuries.

There is no clear, statistically significant clinical precedent indicating that the use of any of the antihypertensive drugs considered here increases the risk of fall injuries in the elderly. Nonetheless, in following standard clinical guidelines for hypertension management, physicians need to be aware of the impact of drug therapies on fall injuries.