ALLHAT in perspective: implications to clinical practice and clinical trials.

The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHATY aims to determine whether treatment with calcium channel blocker or an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor would lower the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) other cardiovascular disease (CVD) events when compared to a diuretic. Since its publication on December 18, 2002 there had been numerous reference to this important study; by now there have been over 200 publications addressing, quoting or referring to ALLHAT. Even by January 2005, there had been reference to it'. It was an important driving force and a major source of reference for JNC VIP. It is thus a very important publication with potential wide-ranging implications to the care of patients with hypertension worldwide.