What recommendations were made regarding step 1 treatment for hypertension?
The committee developed a recommendation for research on step 1 treatment to determine if particular subgroups would benefit from starting dual therapy, to inform future guidance. In the absence of compelling new evidence on step 1 dual therapy, the committee agreed that the previous recommendations for step 1 treatment should be retained (with minor changes for clarity). One exception to this was the 2006 recommendation for considering beta-blockers in certain groups of younger people, which the committee decided should not be retained. The committee agreed that adults with type 2 diabetes of any age should start on an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB; also referred to as A-type drugs) as step 1 treatment (except women with a possibility of becoming pregnant and people of Black African or African Caribbean family origin). 