Mortality and morbidity during and after ALLHAT: Results by gender

To determine whether an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (lisinopril) or calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) is superior to a diuretic (chlorthalidone) in reducing cardiovascular disease incidence in gender subgroups, we carried out a prespecified subgroup analysis of 15,638 female and 17,719 male participants in the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Total follow-up (active treatment + passive surveillance using national administrative databases to ascertain deaths and hospitalizations) was 8 to 13 years. The primary outcome was fatal coronary heart disease or nonfatal myocardial infarction. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, stroke, combined cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, angina, coronary revascularization, heart failure, or peripheral vascular disease), and end-stage renal disease. In-trial rates of heart failure, stroke, and combined cardiovascular disease were significantly higher for lisinopril compared to chlorthalidone, and rates of heart failure were significantly higher for amlodipine compared to chlorthalidone in both men and women. There were no significant treatment gender interactions. These findings did not persist through the extension period with the exception of the heart failure result for amlodipine versus chlorthalidone, which did not differ significantly by gender. For both women and men, rates were not lower in the amlodipine or lisinopril groups than in the chlorthalidone group for either the primary coronary heart disease outcome or any other cardiovascular disease outcome, and chlorthalidone-based treatment resulted in the lowest risk of heart failure. Neither lisinopril nor amlodipine is superior to chlorthalidone for initial treatment of hypertension in either women or men.