Which blood pressure medicine — ARBs or ACE inhibitors — leads to better long-term brain, heart, cancer, and quality-of-life outcomes?
Informing optimal first-line antihypertensive therapy: A rigorous comparative effectiveness analysis of ARBs vs. ACEIs on long-term risk of dementia, cancer, heart disease, and quality of life
This project compares two common blood pressure medicines, ARBs and ACE inhibitors, to see which one is linked to better long-term outcomes for adults with high blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11397970 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, this work uses electronic health records from the Veterans Health Administration and Kaiser Permanente Southern California to compare long-term outcomes for adults who start ARBs versus ACE inhibitors. Researchers will follow large groups of adult patients over several years to measure risks of dementia, heart disease, cancer, frailty, and quality of life. Advanced statistical methods will be used to try to make fair comparisons between people who received different medicines. The goal is to identify which first-choice blood-pressure medicine is associated with better health as people age.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) with hypertension who are starting or taking an ARB or an ACE inhibitor, especially patients within the VHA or Kaiser Permanente Southern California systems, are the people whose records are included.
Not a fit: People without high blood pressure, those under 21, or patients taking other classes of blood-pressure drugs would not directly benefit from the specific comparisons in this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help doctors choose the blood-pressure medicine that lowers long-term risks of dementia, heart disease, cancer, and preserves quality of life for older adults.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have hinted at differences between ARBs and ACE inhibitors for dementia and other outcomes but have had mixed results, so this large real-world comparison seeks clearer evidence.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cohen, Jordana B. — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Cohen, Jordana B.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.