THE APPLICATION OF METAANALYSIS IN ASSESSING RACIAL-DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECTS OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE MEDICATION

Meta-analysis is an important technique for synthesizing research find ings., Although the statistical foundations of meta-analysis continue to be debated, few question its value as a rigorous framework For orga nizing literature reviews. in recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on the use of meta-analysis not only to summarize the central tendency of findings but also to explain variation between studies. T his article reviews the major steps in a meta-analysis with an emphasi s on comparative analysis of subgroups of studies. A metaanalysis of t he antihypertensive efficacy of calcium channel blockers is used to. i llustrate how a comparative analysis can be applied to investigate rac ial variation in the effects of calcium channel blockers. A statistica lly significant trend is found between the proportion of African-Ameri can hypertensive subjects and the mean reduction in blood pressure. Me ta-analytic techniques also are applied to explore possible confounder s due to differences in research design and patient characteristics.