Hypertension Prevention in Pre-Hypertensive Individuals

This is a nation-based trial, with 24 clinical centers distributed in 9 States. A Coordinating Committee is responsible for the elaboration of this proposal and for the main decisions of the trial. The organizational chart of the study will include an executive Committee, a safety committee, outcome committee, lab and EKG centers, and the research units Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is already the leading cause of death in Brazil. High blood pressure is the major risk factor for CVD. The risks start at blood pressure values as lower as 115/75 mmHg but increase exponentially and confer higher absolute risks with blood pressure higher than 140/90 mmHg. The prevalence of hypertension in Brazil was established in population-based studies conducted in different cities and States, varying from 22.3 to 44% of adults The benefit of treatment of individuals with pre-hypertension and cardiovascular disease was demonstrated in several clinical trials. In face of the higher incidence of hypertension in individuals with pre-hypertension, the low effectiveness of non-drug interventions and the risks for cardiovascular events and end-organ damage at lower blood pressure levels, it may be advisable to start blood pressure drugs at low doses at this point of the inexorable elevation of blood pressure with aging. Research questions 1. Does an association of low doses of chlorthalidone and amiloride reduce the incidence of hypertension in individuals with pre-hypertension? 2. Does an association of low doses of chlorthalidone and amiloride reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with pre-hypertension? 3. 2\. Does an association of low doses of chlorthalidone and amiloride reduce the incidence of target-organ damage in patients with pre-hypertension? Methods Design: randomized, double-blind, clinical trial, controlled by placebo. Eligible participants: individuals with 30 to 70 years of age with pre-hypertension. Exclusion criteria: low life expectancy, other indications for the use of diuretics, such as cardiovascular disease, intolerance to the study drugs, pregnancy. Random allocation: by a computer generated list, stratified by center. Interventions: Chlorthalidone 12.5 mg plus amiloride 2.5 mg or identical placebo. Primary outcomes: 1. Incidence of hypertension, by blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg in individuals without diabetes or ≥ 135/85 mmHg in participants with diabetes. 2. Adverse events. 3. Development or worsening of microalbuminuria and of left ventricular hypertrophy in the EKG.