There appears to be little agreement regarding the interpretation of data from the Multicentre Isradipine/Diuretic Atherosclerosis Study (MIDAS). While the increase in intima-media thickness (IMT) was significantly lower in isradipine recipients than the diuretic group at 6 months, the subsequent rates of increase were similar in the 2 groups for the remaining follow-up period. Consequently, it has been possible to use the results to argue both for and against the antiatherosclerotic activity of isradipine. But now, Dr Göran Berglund and colleagues from Lund University, Malmö, Sweden, are suggesting that factors other than atherosclerosis may be responsible for the large initial increase in IMT seen in the diuretic group.