BACKGROUND:

In the 1970s, many studies had been conducted to control blood pressure in individuals maintained at normotensive levels by the use of weight control and sodium restriction without the concomitant use of anti-hypertensives. The associations between weight, sodium and blood pressure had been well established, but data on the relationship of intervention to blood pressure control had been less so.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The 95 patients in Group I were advised to control weight, reduce sodium intake, modify dietary and alcohol intake and were removed from pharmacologic treatment. The 44 patients in Group II were removed from pharmacologic treatment, with no other intervention. The 48 patients in Group III were continued on pharmacologic treatment, with no other intervention. The primary endpoint was the proportion in Groups I and II with diastolic blood pressure less than or equal to 90 mm Hg in the absence of antihypertensive drugs. Secondary endpoints were average diastolic and systolic pressures.