Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the included studies
| Study ID | Group | Sample size | Age, mean (SD) | Male n (%) | BMI, mean (SD) | Current smokers n (%) | Diabetes mellitus n (%) | Renal impairment n (%) | Prior CVD n (%) | Prior antihypertensive treatment n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahn 2026 | TEL/AML/CHTD 20/2.5/6.25 mg | 151 | 57 (14) | 106 (70) | 26 (4) | 29 (19) | NA | NA | NA | 127 (84) |
| TEL 40 mg | 155 | 60 (12) | 109 (70) | 26 (3) | 37 (24) | NA | NA | NA | 129 (83) | |
| Gomaz 2026 | Telmisartan | 34 | 56 (8) | 15 (44.1) | NA | NA | 34 (100) | NA | NA | NA |
| Other antihypertensives | 36 | 53 (9) | 17 (47.2) | NA | NA | 36 (100) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Jadhav 2026 | Telmisartan + amlodipine FDC | 94 | 52.5 (10.85) | 52 (55.3) | 27.1 (4.07) | NA | NA | 94 (100) | NA | 94 (100) |
| Telmisartan + cilnidipine FDC | 94 | 54.7 (10.36) | 51 (54.3) | 27.1 (5.13) | NA | NA | 94 (100) | NA | 94 (100) | |
| Lee 2026 | Tel/S-Amlo | 77 | 57.09 (11.80) | 47 (61.04) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Tel | 78 | 57.55 (13.45) | 43 (55.13) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| S-Amlo | 79 | 56.15 (13.76) | 45 (56.96) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Lim 2026 | Nebivolol | 49 | 63.7 (8) | 23 (46.9) | NA | 3 (6.1) | 6 (12.2) | NA | NA | NA |
| Telmisartan | 49 | 60.3 (12) | 28 (57.1) | NA | 10 (20.4) | 13 (26.5) | NA | NA | NA | |
| TRG 2026 | Triple pill | 833 | 57.5 (11.2) | 558 (67.0) | NA | 43 (5.2) | 181 (21.7) | 0 | ICH 833 (100); CAD 47 (5.6) | 740 (88.8) |
| Placebo | 837 | 58.0 (11.5) | 549 (65.6) | NA | 47 (5.6) | 188 (22.5) | 0 | ICH 837 (100); CAD 55 (6.6) | 740 (88.4) | |
| Bafna 2025 | Azelnidipine + telmisartan | 115 | 53.5 (12.2) | 63 (54.8) | 27.9 (4.40) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Amlodipine + telmisartan | 110 | 54.7 (11.2) | 59 (53.6) | 27.6 (3.88) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Dixit 2025 | Amlodipine + HCTZ | 109 | 56.11 (12.54) | 53 (48.6) | NA | NA | 0 (excluded) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (significant CVD excluded) | 0 (0) |
| Telmisartan + HCTZ | 111 | 56.81 (12.94) | 51 (45.9) | NA | NA | 0 (excluded) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (significant CVD excluded) | 0 (0) | |
| Ramipril + HCTZ | 107 | 62.19 (12.91) | 51 (47.7) | NA | NA | 0 (excluded) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (significant CVD excluded) | 0 (0) | |
| Gomaz 2025 | Telmisartan | 34 | 56 (8) | 15 (44.1) | NA | NA | 34 (100) | NA | NA | NA |
| Other antihypertensives | 36 | 53 (9) | 17 (47.2) | NA | NA | 36 (100) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Lee 2024 | TRE | 33 | 63.64 (10.65) | 26 (78.79) | 26.19 (2.76) | NA | NA | NA | NA | 28 (84.85) |
| RE | 31 | 62.58 (10.76) | 24 (77.42) | 26.50 (3.50) | NA | NA | NA | NA | 24 (77.42) | |
| T | 32 | 60.75 (9.73) | 22 (68.75) | 25.73 (2.51) | NA | NA | NA | NA | 27 (84.38) | |
| Ojji 2024 | Triple-pill protocol | 150 | 52 (10) | 69 (46) | 28 (5) | 1 (1) | 2 (1.3) | 0 | NA | 58 (39) |
| Standard-care protocol | 150 | 51 (9) | 69 (46) | 29 (6) | 1 (1) | 6 (4) | 0 | NA | 57 (38) | |
| Park 2024 | Telmisartan/amlodipine/rosuvastatin | 125 | 67.4 (11.3) | 77 (61.6) | 26.2 (2.8) | 18 (14.4) | 53 (42.4) | NA | CAD 98 (78.4) | NA |
| Amlodipine/atorvastatin | 127 | 68.2 (10.6) | 73 (57.5) | 26.3 (3.1) | 20 (15.7) | 57 (44.9) | NA | CAD 105 (82.7) | NA | |
| Rodgers 2024 | GMRx2 1/4 | 113 | 50 (12) | 45 (40) | 30.9 (6.0) | 8 (7) | 8 (7) | NA | NA | 44 (39) |
| GMRx2 1/2 | 119 | 51 (10) | 58 (49) | 30.4 (6.7) | 12 (10) | 10 (8) | NA | NA | 61 (51) | |
| Placebo | 63 | 51 (13) | 27 (43) | 30.0 (5.7) | 4 (6) | 3 (5) | NA | NA | 33 (52) | |
| Wander 2024 | Telmisartan + metoprolol succinate ER | 128 | 50.26 (8.98) | 94 (71.21) | NA | NA | NA | 0 (chronic renal failure excluded) | NA | 128 (100) |
| Telmisartan + bisoprolol | 128 | 49.27 (10.35) | 97 (73.48) | NA | NA | NA | 0 (chronic renal failure excluded) | NA | 128 (100) | |
| Cho 2023 | TEL/AML/CHTD | 186 | 61.5 (10.6) | 144 (77.4) | 26.2 (3.5) | NA | 39 (21.0) | CKD 26 (14.0) | NA | 186 (100) |
| TEL/AML | 188 | 60.3 (10.8) | 149 (79.3) | 26.7 (3.5) | NA | 51 (27.1) | CKD 28 (14.9) | NA | 188 (100) | |
| Dash 2023 | Azilsartan + amlodipine | 25 | 53.68 (8.86) | 9 (36) | NA | NA | 6 (20) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (serious CVD excluded) | 25 (100) |
| Telmisartan + amlodipine | 25 | 52 (9.85) | 15 (60) | NA | NA | 6 (24) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (serious CVD excluded) | 25 (100) | |
| Sawant 2023 | Telmisartan 40 mg | 17 | 41.88 (11.16) | 10 (58.8) | 26.84 (5.15) | NA | NA | 0 (chronic renal failure excluded) | 0 (CAD excluded) | 0 (newly diagnosed) |
| Cilnidipine 10 mg | 19 | 41.47 (12.69) | 8 (42.1) | 25.78 (4.41) | NA | NA | 0 (chronic renal failure excluded) | 0 (CAD excluded) | 0 (newly diagnosed) | |
| Song 2023 | Eze/Ros 10/20 mg + Tel 80 mg | 60 | 64.82 (10.07) | 40 (66.67) | 25.96 (3.18) | 12 (20.00) | 23 (38.33) | NA | CAD 11 (18.33) | NA |
| Eze/Ros 10/20 mg | 60 | 62.92 (8.72) | 40 (66.67) | 25.91 (3.36) | 11 (18.33) | 25 (41.67) | NA | CAD 15 (25.00) | NA | |
| Tel 80 mg | 60 | 65.52 (10.63) | 41 (68.33) | 25.98 (2.70) | 7 (11.67) | 18 (30.00) | NA | CAD 9 (15.00) | NA | |
| Gnanenthiran 2022 | Usual care—no DM | 243 | 55.0 (11.3) | 108 (44.4) | 26.1 (4.6) | 14 (5.8) | 0 (0) | CKD 1 (0.4) | CAD 13 (5.3) | NA |
| Usual care—DM | 108 | 58.2 (9.0) | 47 (43.5) | 26.2 (4.0) | 5 (4.6) | 108 (100) | CKD 2 (1.9) | CAD 9 (8.3) | NA | |
| Triple pill—no DM | 237 | 55.0 (11.5) | 103 (43.5) | 25.9 (4.7) | 15 (6.3) | 0 (0) | CKD 3 (1.3) | CAD 13 (5.5) | NA | |
| Triple pill—DM | 112 | 59.5 (10.2) | 39 (34.8) | 25.8 (4.2) | 5 (4.5) | 112 (100) | CKD 4 (3.6) | CAD 17 (15.2) | NA | |
| Kim 2022 | Telmisartan 40/S-amlodipine 2.5 | 96 | 63.5 (12.5) | 59 (61.5) | NA | NA | 33 (34.4) | CKD 18 (18.8) | NA | > = 2 drugs 85 (88.5) |
| Telmisartan 80 | 88 | 62.7 (10.9) | 46 (52.3) | NA | NA | 32 (36.4) | CKD 16 (18.2) | NA | > = 2 drugs 79 (89.8) | |
| Lee 2022 | Telmisartan-statin | 48 | 61.0 (8.8) | 39 (81.2) | 25.7 (2.9) | 11 (22.9) | 0 (0) | NA | CAD 48 (100) | NA |
| Amlodipine-statin | 51 | 59.3 (8.8) | 38 (74.5) | 26.0 (3.1) | 16 (31.4) | 0 (0) | NA | CAD 51 (100) | NA | |
| Meher 2022 | Telmisartan 40 mg | 24 | 54.42 (7.83) | 14 (58.3) | NA | NA | 24 (100) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (serious CVD excluded) | NA |
| Azilsartan 40 mg | 23 | 53.09 (8.02) | 13 (56.5) | NA | NA | 23 (100) | 0 (excluded) | 0 (serious CVD excluded) | NA | |
| Ram 2022 | Telmisartan + amlodipine | 48 | 48.3 (10.95) | 20 (41.7) | 29.4 (5.14) | NA | NA | NA | NA | 27 (56.3) |
| Telmisartan + cilnidipine | 46 | 50.5 (9.71) | 19 (41.3) | 28.6 (4.58) | NA | NA | NA | NA | 31 (67.4) | |
| Sung 2022 | Placebo | 25 | 59.96 (13.19) | 18 (72.00) | 25.71 (3.29) | 4 (16.00) | 4 (16.00) | NA | NA | 24 (96.00) |
| TEL/AML/CHTD 10/1.25/3.125 mg | 25 | 63.88 (8.45) | 10 (40.00) | 24.82 (3.07) | 3 (12.00) | 5 (20.00) | NA | NA | 22 (88.00) | |
| TEL/AML/CHTD 13.333/1.667/4.167 mg | 25 | 58.84 (10.15) | 20 (80.00) | 26.65 (3.50) | 4 (16.00) | 9 (36.00) | NA | NA | 24 (96.00) | |
| TEL/AML/CHTD 20/2.5/6.25 mg | 25 | 64.16 (6.68) | 15 (60.00) | 25.80 (4.18) | 6 (24.00) | 7 (28.00) | NA | NA | 23 (92.00) | |
| Amlodipine 5 mg | 26 | 61.65 (9.67) | 18 (69.23) | 25.55 (3.28) | 7 (26.92) | 7 (26.92) | NA | NA | 22 (84.62) | |
| Amlodipine 10 mg | 25 | 59.88 (10.82) | 17 (68.00) | 27.02 (3.62) | 1 (4.00) | 5 (20.00) | NA | NA | 20 (80.00) | |
| Telmisartan 80 mg | 25 | 58.12 (9.12) | 17 (68.00) | 25.97 (3.95) | 8 (32.00) | 3 (12.00) | NA | NA | 23 (92.00) | |
| Bhardwaj 2021 | Amlodipine | 50 | 51.75 (6.7) | 31 (62) | NA | 2 (4) | 50 (100) | NA | NA | NA |
| Ramipril | 50 | 55.9 (11.2) | 28 (56) | NA | 2 (4) | 50 (100) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Telmisartan | 50 | 52 (10.3) | 30 (60) | NA | 2 (4) | 50 (100) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Ramipril + telmisartan | 50 | 51.1 (12) | 28 (56) | NA | 4 (8) | 50 (100) | NA | NA | NA |
Abbreviations: AML amlodipine, BMI body mass index, CAD coronary artery disease, CHTD chlorthalidone, CKD chronic kidney disease, CVD cardiovascular disease, DBP diastolic blood pressure, DM diabetes mellitus, FDC fixed-dose combination, HCTZ hydrochlorothiazide, NA not reported, RE rosuvastatin/ezetimibe, SBP systolic blood pressure, S-Amlo S-amlodipine, TEL/Tel telmisartan, TRE telmisartan/rosuvastatin/ezetimibe
Note: Gomaz 2025 and Gomaz 2026 are companion secondary-outcome reports of the same underlying randomized trial (CTRI/2023/04/051878; telmisartan n = 34 vs. amlodipine/cilnidipine/ramipril n = 36), reporting inflammatory biomarkers (hsCRP, IL-6, TNF-α) and metabolic/vascular biomarkers (HOMA-IR, endothelin-1), respectively, in the same 70 participants. Both are listed as separate rows for transparency and traceability to their respective publications, but the trial’s 70 participants are counted once in all participant totals reported in this review (24 unique trials across 25 included reports; 6,521 total participants)