Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Twenty Six-week, Randomized, Double-blind, Parallel Group, Multicenter, Active Controlled, Dose Titration Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Aliskiren Compared to HCTZ With the Optional Addition of Amlodipine, Followed by a Second Twenty Six Weeks of Blinded Treatment, in Patients With Essential Hypertension
Brief Summary: This study is designed to compare the long-term efficacy and safety of an aliskiren based regimen to an HCTZ based treatment regimen with optional addition of amlodipine in patients with essential hypertension.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

An average seated home diastolic blood pressure (DBP) \> 85 mmHg and home systolic blood pressure (SBP) \< 180 mmHg. Subjects must also have an average seated (\> 5 minutes) clinic DBP between 90 mmHg and 110 mmHg and SBP \< 180 mmHg

Exclusion Criteria:

secondary forms of HTN, patients currently treated with three or more antihypertensive drugs, isolated systolic HTN, other diseases requiring treatment with BP lowering medications, heart rate \< 55 beats/min, known cardiovascular disease (including history of angina pectoris, heart failure, presence of a cardiac pacemaker, history of myocardial infarction or revascularization procedure, or cerebrovascular disease, including stroke and TIA), diabetes mellitus (Type 1 or 2), renal insufficiency (serum creatinine \> 1.5 in men or 1.4 in women), primary renal disease, pregnancy or lactation, liver enzymes \> 2.5 upper limits of normal, current treatment with NSAIDS, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) inhibitors, oral contraceptives or estrogen.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* At least 55 years of age.
* Previously untreated or treated hypertension.
* For patients \>= 60 years, evidence of at least one CV disease or target organ damage, or for patients 55-59 years evidence of at least two CV diseases or target organ damage from two different organ systems as defined in the protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Allergy to any of the drugs administered in this trial.
* Current angina pectoris (ie, no anginal event requiring NTG within 1 month prior to Visit 1).
* Secondary hypertension.
* Refractory hypertension defined as SBP \>= 180 mmHg and/or DBP \>= 110 mmHg unresponsive to triple-drug regimens of sympatholytics, diuretics and vasodilators.
* History of symptomatic heart failure (NYHA classes II-IV) or ejection fraction \< 40%.
* Myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization (CABG or PCI), unstable angina within one month of Visit 1.
* Stroke or transient ischemic event (TIA) within 3 months of Visit 1.
* Significant obstructive valvular cardiovascular disease or any valvular disease expected to lead to surgery during the course of the study.
* Evidence of hepatic disease (AST or ALT values \>= 2 X upper limit of normal).
* Impaired renal function (serum creatinine \>= 2.5 mg/dL (221 µmol/L)).
* Baseline serum potassium of \> 5.2 meq/L not on potassium supplements.
* History of malignancy including leukemia and lymphoma (but not basal cell skin cancer) within the last 5 years.
* History of clinically significant auto immune disorders such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
* Significant non-cardiovascular illness or condition likely to result in death prior to trial completion, e.g., major organ transplant (life expectancy \<5 years).
* Significant cardiovascular disease such as an aortic aneurysm ≥ 6 cm, likely requiring surgical intervention during the course of the study.

Other protocol-defined exclusion criteria applied to the study.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

-Patients with essential hypertension

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe hypertension
* History or evidence of a secondary form of hypertension
* History of myocardial infarction. Other protocol-defined inclusion exclusion criteria also apply
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* patients older than 40 years of age with stage I hypertension

Exclusion Criteria:

* low life expectancy
* other indications for the use of diuretics, such as cardiovascular disease
* intolerance to the study drugs
* pregnancy

Answer: C