Coronary heart disease in hypertensives: a need to reduce cholesterol.

Ten international long-term hypertension intervention trials between 1980 and 1987 have resulted in significant reduction in the incidence of stroke in the treatment groups. Yet, eight of these studies have shown disappointing results in the prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). Five hypertension intervention trials revealed high average cholesterol values at baseline. No cholesterol treatment was provided and the incidence of CHD was high. In four other trials with stratification into 'low' and 'high' baseline cholesterol levels, the incidence of CHD was considerably less in the 'low' cholesterol groups. Only the 10th, the Gothenburg trial, has demonstrated a marked reduction in CHD by combining antihypertensive medication with cholesterol lowering treatment. Failure to reduce cholesterol in hypertensives with hypercholesterolaemia may be one explanation for the limited efficacy of antihypertensive treatment in the reduction of CHD. We postulate that successful treatment of hypercholesterolaemia will reduce the incidence of CHD in well-controlled hypertensive patients to the same extent as it lowers the incidence of CHD in normotensive people.