Prevention of cardiovascular events by the antihypertensive treatment using amlodipine and perindopril in comparison with the use of atenolol and bendroflumethiazide. The ASCOT (Anglo-Scandinavian Outcomes Trial: blood pressure lowe ring arm) study results – multicentre, randomised, controlled trial. Landmark in the development of opinions on combination therapy in hypertension? (comment)

1. 2003 European Society of Hypertension - European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. Guidelines Committee. J Hypertens 2003; 21: 1011-1053.

2. Cífková R, Horký K Widimský J et al. Doporučení diagnostických a léčebných postupů u arteriální hypertenze - verze 2004. Doporučení České společnosti pro hypertenzi. Vnitř Lék 2004; 50: 709-722.

3. Hansson L, Zanchetti A, Carruthers SG et al. Effects of intensive blood pressure lowering and low-dose aspirin in patients with hypertension: principal results of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) trial. Lancet 1998; 351: 1755-1762.

4. Opie LH, Schall R. Old antihypertensives and new diabetes. J Hypertens 2004; 22: 1453-1458.

5. Messerli FH, Grossmann E, Leonetti G. Antihypertensive therapy and new onset of diabetes. J Hypertens 2004; 22: 1845-1847.

6. Murphy MP, Lewis PJ, Hohner E et al. Glucose intolerance in hypertensive patients treated with diuretics, a fourteen year follow-up. Lancet 1982; 2: 1293-1295.

7. Gross TW, Nieto J, Sahar E et al. For the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Hypertension and antihypertensive therapy as risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 2000; 342: 905-912.

8. Verdechia P, Reboldi G, Angeli F et al. Adverse prognostic significance of new diabetes in treated hypertensive subjects. Hypertension 2004; 43: 963-969.

9. Dahlof B, Sever PS, Poulter NR et al for the ASCOT investigators: Prevention of cardiovascular events with an antihypertensive regimen of amlodipine adding perindopril as required versus atenolol adding bendroflumethiazide as required, in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial - Blood Pressure Lowering Arm (ASCOT-BPLA): a multicenter randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2005; 4: 1-12.

10. Sever PS, Dahlof B, Poulter NR et al. Prevention of coronary and stroke events with atorvastatin in hypertensive patients who have average or lower than average cholesterol concentration in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Lipid Lowering Arm (ASCOT-LLA): a multicenter randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2003; 361: 1149-58.

11. Julius S, Kjeldsen SE, Weber M et al. Outcomes in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk treated with regiment based on valsartan or amlodipin: the VALUE randomised trial. Lancet 2004; 363: 2022-2031.

12. Carlberg B, Samuelsson O, Lindholm LH. Atenolol in hypertension: is it a wise choice? Lancet 2004; 364: 1684-1689.

13. Nissen SE, Tuzcu EM, Libby P et al. Effect of antihypertensive agents on cardiovascular events in patients with coronary disease and normal blood pressure. The Camelot study. JAMA 2004; 292: 2217-2226.

14. Fox KM. European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events with Perindopril in Stable Coronary Disease. Efficacy of perindopril in reduction of cardiovascular events aminy patients with stable coronary artery disease: randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial (the EUROPA study). Lancet 2003; 362: 782-788.

15. Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialist´s Collaboration. Effects of different blood pressure lowering regimens on major cardiovascular events: results of prospectively designed overviews of randomized trials. Lancet 2003; 362: 1527-1535.

16. Dahlof B, Devereux RB, Kjeldsen SE et al. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in hypertension study (LIFE): a randomised trial against atenolol. Lancet 2002; 359: 995-1003.

17. Klingbeil AU, Schneider M, Martus P et al. A meta- analysis of the effects of treatment on left ventricular mass in essential hypertension. Am J Med 2003; 115: 41-46.