PMID: 8583463Nov 1, 1995Paper

Losartan potassium as initial therapy in patients with severe hypertension

Journal of Human Hypertension
M C DunlayC Sweet

Abstract

This 12-week, open-label study was conducted to gain experience with losartan potassium, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, in patients with severe hypertension. Patients were either untreated or withdrawn from current therapy for at least 48 h before initiation of losartan 50 mg once daily. Patients were titrated to 100 mg as needed to achieve a goal of sitting diastolic blood pressure (SiDBP) 90 or 95 mm Hg. Hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg once daily titrated to 25 mg) was added and followed by either a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB) and/or atenolol, if BP was not controlled. A total of 179 patients with a pretreatment mean baseline BP of 172 +/- 17/112 +/- 18 mm Hg enrolled in the trial and BP was recorded 24 h after dosing at baseline and weeks 2, 4, 8 and the final week (10-12 weeks). The mean reductions in SiDBP from baseline were 7.3, 9.3, 15.9 and 18.9 mm Hg, respectively, and these changes from baseline were statistically significant, P < 0.001. At the end of the trial, 22% of patients remained on losartan monotherapy, 30% required the addition of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and 31% required both HCTZ and a CCB; 11% required HCTZ and atenolol while 4% required HCTZ, a CCB and atenolol; 2% of patients wer...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antihypertensive Agents: Mechanisms of Action

Antihypertensive drugs are used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) which aims to prevent the complications of high blood pressure, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Discover the latest research on antihypertensive drugs and their mechanism of action here.