Abstract
With numerous safe and effective antihypertensive drugs now available, the clinician should no longer choose only diuretic agents or beta-adrenergic receptor blockers (beta-blockers) as initial therapy. Five classes of agents, including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium entry blockers, peripheral alpha 1-adrenergic receptor blockers, and thiazide diuretic agents, are all appropriate monotherapy in properly selected patients. The choice depends on efficacy, side effects, demography, comorbidity, dosage schedule, cost, mechanism of drug action, and the pathophysiology of the patient's hypertension. Extensive data are now available that will assist the clinician in choosing an agent that has the greatest probability of success without the need for extensive biochemical or hemodynamic evaluation.
References
Nov 1, 1978·Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases·D B CaseD N McKinstry
Nov 1, 1979·The American Journal of Medicine·P WeidmannW H Ziegler
Jul 13, 1985·British Medical Journal
Aug 1, 1985·Journal of Hypertension·P WeidmannA Gerber
Aug 1, 1985·Journal of Hypertension
Aug 23, 1986·British Medical Journal·E HommelJ Giese
Dec 26, 1985·The New England Journal of Medicine·Y TagumaY Sasaki
Dec 14, 1972·The New England Journal of Medicine·F R BühlerH R Brunner
Sep 1, 1983·Hypertension·J I Drayer, M A Weber
Feb 17, 1983·The New England Journal of Medicine·D E HricikV J Dzau
Feb 1, 1983·Diabetes·J H HeldermanR Andres
Nov 5, 1984·The American Journal of Medicine·J W Hollifield
Jan 1, 1982·British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·K SilberbauerH Templ
Apr 1, 1981·The American Journal of Medicine·O B HollandL Kuhnert
Citations
Feb 22, 2012·Patient Preference and Adherence·Shaymaa Abdalwahed AbdulameerOmar Ismail
May 15, 2007·Current Opinion in Pediatrics·Mouin G Seikaly
Apr 2, 1992·The American Journal of Cardiology·J C Melby
Feb 1, 1991·American Heart Journal·H R Black
Apr 2, 1992·The American Journal of Cardiology·G P Reams