Blood Pressure. Supplement

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and tolerability of valsartan (Val) 320 mg once daily (o.d.), Val/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 320/12.5 mg o.d. and Val/HCTZ 320/25 mg o.d. in patients with hypertension not adequately controlled by Val monotherapy. METHODS: This double-blind, active-controlled, parallel-group, randomized trial recruited patients > or =18 years with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension, defined as mean sitting diastolic blood pressure (MSDBP) of > or =95 mmHg and <110 mmHg without treatment...

It is well documented that reducing blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive individuals reduces the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. Despite this, many patients with hypertension remain untreated or inadequately treated, and fail to reach the recommended BP goals. Suboptimal BP control, whilst arising from multiple causes, is often due to poor patient compliance and/or persistence, and results in a significant health and economic burden on society. The use of fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) for the treatment of hypertension has the potential to increase patient compliance and persistence...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Two first-line antihypertensive therapies for initiating treatment in hypertension were compared, the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) zofenopril and the beta-blocker atenolol. The study was multi-centre and double-blind, and included 304 middle-aged to elderly patients with mild to moderate hypertension who were randomized to receive either zofenopril 30-60 mg once daily (od) or atenolol 50-100 mg od for 4 weeks with the possibility to an up-titration in non-responding patients. The higher dose level was then administered until 12 weeks after randomization...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and calcium antagonists are today extensively used as first-line monotherapy as well as appropriate combination therapy in mild to moderate hypertension. In a parallel-group study, using clinically recommended doses, the ACEI zofenopril was compared with the calcium antagonist amlodipine in respect of their antihypertensive properties. In the study, 303 hypertensive patients, aged 18-75 years, were compared in terms of antihypertensive response and adverse effects after treatment with zofenopril, 30-60 mg once daily or amlodipine 5-10 mg od...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) are used in the management of a range of cardiovascular disorders and are well established in primary as well as secondary cardiovascular prevention programmes. Over the years, several second- and third-generation ACEIs have been introduced into the clinic. In a comparative study in patients with mild to moderate hypertension, the efficacy and safety of zofenopril 30 mg od (with an up-titration to 60 mg od after 4 weeks in non-responder patients) was compared with enalapril 20 mg od (with an up-titration to 40 mg od after 4 weeks in nonresponders) during 12 weeks of treatment...

In a parallel double-blind multicentre study, 375 hypertensive patients were enrolled and treated with either the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) zofenopril 30 mg once daily (titration 60 mg od) or the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1) antagonist losartan 50 mg od (titration 100 mg od). Patients with mild to moderate hypertension, defined as a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between 95 and 110 mmHg in the sitting position without other signs of cardiovascular disease were enrolled and treated for 12 weeks...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: This post-marketing surveillance study assessed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the treatment with nifedipine GITS (gastro-intestinal therapeutic system) in hypertensive patients under normal daily practice conditions in China. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 3003 patients were included in 174 outpatient clinics. Patients received 30 mg or 60 mg of nifedipine GITS. Data were collected at up to three follow-up visits. RESULTS: At the end of the observation period, mean treatment duration was 13...

BACKGROUND: This study compared the efficacy and safety of amlodipine/benazepril (10/40 mg/day and 10/20 mg/day) with amlodipine 10 mg/day in patients whose blood pressure (BP) was not adequately controlled with amlodipine monotherapy. METHODS: After a lead-in period with amlodipine monotherapy, 812 non-responder patients (mean sitting diastolic BP > or =95 mmHg) were randomized to one of three treatment groups. Ambulatory BP monitoring was conducted in 276 patients...

The superior diastolic blood pressure reduction (BP) of high-dose combination therapy with trandolapril (Tr) and verapamil-SR (Ve) compared with monotherapy has previously been reported. Guideline changes, placing greater emphasis on systolic BP, prompted a re-evaluation of TV-51 and an assessment of a subset of patients from the INternational VErapamil-SR Trandolapril STudy (INVEST). The objective of this analysis was to determine if the short-term antihypertensive effects of high-dose Tr+Ve (Tr/Ve study) could be confirmed in a sample of higher-risk INVEST patients with longer follow-up...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Reduction of blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients reduces cardiovascular risk, with substantial reductions in death from cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. This observational study assessed BP reduction in 17,242 patients with uncontrolled hypertension (mean baseline BP 165.4/95.8 mmHg) treated in clinical practice with a combination of valsartan 160 mg and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5 mg by non-hospital specialists and general practitioners. BP was recorded at baseline and at 1 and 3 months with efficacy assessed as BP change from baseline at last timepoint...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Non-compliance is an important factor in lack of appropriate control of blood pressure. Education of hypertensive patients on about consequences of hypertension and benefits of antihypertensive therapy has been reported to improve the results of the management of hypertension. The aim of this article is to present main factors influencing patients' compliance with antihypertensive treatment and the role of educational interventions in the process of therapy.

Currently blood pressure (BP) is considered normal (for most subjects) if below 140 mmHg for systolic and 90 mmHg for diastolic BP. However, the risk of death displays an approximately linear relationship with BP levels below this cut-off. Therefore more attention is now being paid to the portion of the population characterized by BP levels remaining within normal limits but approaching the 140/90 mmHg level. The 2003 ESH-ESC guidelines define BP between 130/85 and 139/89 mmHg as "high normal", while the 2003 JNC7 guidelines introduced a new category of "prehypertension" (BP between 120/80 and 139/89 mmHg)...

Despite evidence for the benefits of treating hypertension in old age, only a small number of elderly patients have adequate blood pressure control. The reasons are complex and include a combination of factors related to physician, patient adherence to therapy and properties of the antihypertensive drugs. Substantial gaps have been documented between the development and dissemination of recommendations and their implementation in practice. Older patients are more likely to have difficulty with medication adherence...

The incidence of resistant hypertension remains to be clarified. In this article, three categories of resistance are distinguished: resistant patient, resistant clinician and refractory hypertension. Inadequate compliance, which in case of antihypertensive treatment means taking fewer doses of medications than prescribed, remains a significant cause of poor blood pressure control. Among most frequent physician-related causes of resistant hypertension, there are measurement errors, pseudohypertension, white coat hypertension and therapy errors...

The aim of our study was to investigate blood pressure (BP) control and different factors with possible influence on BP control in Croatian hypertensive patients. In this cross-sectional investigation, a representative sample of target populations (primary care physicians and patients) from different parts of Croatia was included according to the study protocol. During December 2003 and January 2004, we included, according to correctly completed questionnaires, 141 physicians and 814 hypertensive patients. A controlled BP (BP < 140/90 mmHg) in this hypertensive population treated with antihypertensive drugs was in 23% of patients...

The aims of investigations were to assess the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) among Latvian population aged > or = 45 years and to evaluate the current AH management situation in Latvia. Four epidemiological databases (Dbases) for analyses were selected: Dbases of a randomized urban population of Riga city (in 1997) and Kuldiga region (in 2000), a Dbase of the DIASCREEN population selected by high risk to diabetes from those visiting family doctors (in 2003) and a Dbase of a Latvian population selected from those visiting family doctors during 3 days in 2005...