Abstract:
Objective To investigate the relationship of the six commonly used antihypertensive drugs and compound antihypertensive drugs recommended in the 2024 edition of the Chinese Hypertension Guidelines with the risk of orthostatic hypotension (OH), as well as to explore the relationship of antihypertensive drug-related OH with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs).
Methods This study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the association between common monotherapy and combination antihypertensive drugs and the occurrence of OH. A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, and VIP databases, covering the period from inception to April 2025. OR and HR for OH events were extracted from eligible studies. Due to heterogeneity among studies, a fixed-effect model was used to calculate pooled ORs and 95%CI. Heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 statistic. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to verify the robustness of the results.
Results A total of 15 studies were included, with 31 269 participants. The overall meta-analysis for the six classes of antihypertensive monotherapies and combination therapies showed no significant association with OH risk (OR=1.04, 95%CI 0.92–1.17). Specifically, angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI) (OR=1.02, 95%CI 0.52–1.98), renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors (OR=0.76 95%CI 0.31–1.85), diuretics (OR=0.94, 95%CI 0.76–1.16), calcium channel blockers (CCB) (OR=0.94, 95%CI 0.76–1.16), and combination antihypertensive drugs (OR=0.62, 95%CI 0.14–2.63) were not significantly associated with OH risk, while β-blockers significantly increased the risk of OH (OR=1.74, 95%CI 1.26–2.41). Meta-analysis of three RCTs suggested that antihypertensive drug-related OH might increase MACEs, while after adjusting for heterogeneity, the random-effects model showed no statistically significant association (HR=1.09, 95%CI 0.78-1.53).
Conclusions Overall, the six classes of antihypertensive monotherapies and combination therapies do not significantly increase the risk of OH. β-blockers are the primary agents associated with increased OH risk. Current evidence does not support that OH induced by antihypertensive drugs recommended in current guidelines increases the risk of MACEs.