Blood pressure reduction, persistence and costs in the evaluation of antihypertensive drug treatment – a review

Table 3 Adverse effects of drugs: percentage of people with one or more symptoms attributable to treatment*, according to category of drug and dose, in randomised trials [9, 20]

		Percent (95%CI) with symptoms (treated minus placebo)^†
Drug class	No. of trials	1/2 standard dose	Standard dose	Twice standard dose
Thiazides	59	2.0 [-2.2 to 6.3]	9.9 [6.6 to 13.2]	17.8 [11.5 to 24.2]
BBs	62	5.5 [0.3 to 10.7]	7.5 [4.0 to 10.9]	9.4 [3.6 to 15.2]
ACEi	96	3.9 [-3.7 to 11.6]	3.9 [-0.5 to 8.3]	3.9 [-0.2 to 8.0]
ARBs	44	-1.8 [-10.2 to 6.5]	0 [-5.4 to 5.4]	1.9 [-5.6 to 9.3]
CCBs	96	1.6 [-3.5 to 6.7]	8.3 [4.8 to 11.8]	14.9 [9.8 to 20.1]

ACE = angiotensin converting enzyme. *Calculated as difference between treated and placebo groups in proportion of participants who developed one or more symptoms, excluding headaches, which were significantly less common in people receiving treatment. ^†Commonest symptoms: thiazides–dizziness, impotence, nausea, muscle cramp; Beta-blockers–cold extremities, fatigue, nausea; ACE inhibitors–cough; calcium channel blockers–flushing, ankle oedema, dizziness.