ReviewInternational journal of cardiology. Cardiovascular risk and prevention2026
Efficacy and safety of antihypertensive drugs deprescribing in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Review in International journal of cardiology. Cardiovascular risk and prevention, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Comment on "Efficacy and safety of antihypertensive drugs deprescribing in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials".International journal of cardiology. Cardiovascular risk and prevention · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Although antihypertensive therapy is beneficial, aggressive treatment in frail, multimorbid older adults may increase adverse outcomes such as falls and hypotension. Deprescribing has emerged as a potential strategy to reduce these risks, but evidence regarding its safety remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the clinical outcomes of antihypertensive deprescribing in older adults. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, CENTRAL, and Web of Science were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to October 2025 comparing antihypertensive deprescribing with usual care. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause hospitalizations. Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), serious adverse events (SAEs), and falls. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Results: Four RCTs involving 2173 participants were included. Deprescribing showed no significant difference versus usual care in all-cause mortality (RR 1.02, 95 % CI 0.93-1.12), cardiovascular mortality (RR 1.11, 95 % CI 0.80-1.55), or all-cause hospitalizations (RR 0.95, 95 % CI 0.85-1.05). No significant differences were observed for MACE (RR 1.09, 95 % CI 0.90-1.33), MI (RR 0.76, 95 % CI 0.42-1.38), stroke (RR 1.12, 95 % CI 0.66-1.89), SAEs (RR 1.08, 95 % CI 0.90-1.30), or falls (RR 1.00, 95 % CI 0.89-1.13). Conclusion: In older adults, a strategy of deprescribing antihypertensive drugs was not associated with an increased risk of mortality, MACE, or other SAEs. Despite that these findings provide reassuring evidence for deprescribing strategies, the current evidence base remains limited and uncertain, warranting caution and strict clinical monitoring.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.