The primary objective of the LIFE study was to test the long-term effects of once-daily losartan-based treatment compared to a well-documented atenolol-based treatment on cardiovascular death and disease. It included patients with hypertension and enlarged hearts because they are known to be at greater risk for the cardiovascular events of hypertension and, as such, are a very important population to study in hypertension outcomes trials. An enlarged heart, or left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), is a common result of longer-term hypertension. Atenolol is a proven standard for the treatment of hypertension and is known for its cardiovascular benefits. As a result it is the most widely used beta-blocker to treat hypertension.

In this double-blind, randomized, parallel-group design, 9,193 men and women aged 55-80 years (average 67 years) with essential hypertension (sitting blood pressure 160-200/95-115 mmHg, average 174/98 mmHg) and ECG-documented LVH (enlarged heart), were assigned once daily losartan- or atenolol-based antihypertensive therapy. Patient enrollment began in 1995 in 945 centres in 7 countries which included Denmark (n=1,391), Finland (n=1,485), Iceland (n=133), Norway (n=1,415), Sweden (n=2,245), UK (n=817) and USA (n=1,707). Completed in 2001, LIFE is one of the largest hypertension trials ever conducted.

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