Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41491674›Full record

SynthesisBMC geriatrics2026

Deprescribing antihypertensive medications in older people: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

Carmen Floriani, Giovanni Minchio, Angela Edith Schulthess-Lisibach, Carina Lundby, Maja Josephine Lundberg Andersen, Martina Zangger, Orestis Efthimiou, Enriqueta Vallejo-Yagüe, Stefan Neuner-Jehle, Wade Thompson and 8 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Carmen FlorianiInstitute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, 3012, Switzerland. carmen.floriani@unibe.ch.
Giovanni MinchioUniversity of Trento, Trento, Italy.
Angela Edith Schulthess-LisibachInstitute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.
Carina LundbyHospital Pharmacy Funen, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark.
Maja Josephine Lundberg AndersenHospital Pharmacy Funen, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark.
Martina ZanggerInstitute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.
Orestis EfthimiouInstitute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.
Enriqueta Vallejo-YagüeInstitute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.
Stefan Neuner-JehleInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Wade ThompsonDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Jens SøndergaardDepartment of Public Health, Research Unit of General Practice, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark.
Lisa M McCarthyDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Carole LunnyDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Rosalinde K E PoortvlietDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Jacobijn GusseklooDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Stella S DaskalopoulouDepartment of Medicine, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Marc von GernlerMedical Library, University Library of Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Sven StreitInstitute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.

Funding

Region of Southern Denmark journal number 20/14081SAMWASSM and Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation YTCR 25/19.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHypertension is highly prevalent among older people, and the balance of benefit and harm of antihypertensive therapy may shift with age. In certain cases, reducing or discontinuing antihypertensive treatment (deprescribing) may be appropriate. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize available evidence on deprescribing antihypertensive medications in older adults aged 65 years and older.

methodsWe searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science Core Collection, ClinicalTrials.gov, ICTRP and Epistemonikos from inception to July 2024. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative observational studies (OS) comparing deprescribing versus continuation of antihypertensive medications in adults ≥ 65 years. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), orthostatic hypotension and falls. Where possible, data were synthesized using meta-analysis to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). We assessed the risk of bias in the RCTs in Covidence basing on the Cochrane Risk Of Bias (Rob 2) tool. For the observational studies we used the Newcastle Ottawa Scale for comparative observational studies.

resultsWe included 17 studies. Results from the observational studies are only reported as narrative summary. The pooled OR for all-cause mortality was 1.11 (95% CI 0.82-1.50; 6 RCTs). For secondary outcomes, pooled ORs were 1.32 (95% CI 0.30-5.92) for myocardial infarction (3 RCTs), 3.16 (95% CI 1.53-6.55) for heart failure (3 RCTs), and 3.08 (95% CI 0.73-13.00) for stroke (4 RCTs).

conclusionThe effects of deprescribing antihypertensive medications in older adults remain uncertain. The limited and low-event-rate evidence on key cardiovascular outcomes for older individuals highlights the need for individualized decision-making, especially in frail and multimorbid populations. This review provides a foundation for future research to address gaps and guide safer deprescribing practices in older adults in routine clinical practice.

Indexed as

Antihypertensive AgentsDeprescriptionsHypertensionAgedAged, 80 and overHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAntihypertensive AgentsAntihypertensive treatmentDeprescribingOlder adults

Identifiers

PMID41491674
PMCPMC12911232

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.