Effects of antihypertensive drugs on SBP variability are dose-dependent and persist when used in combinations .
Use of a high dose of a calcium channel blocker alone or in combination with other agents is therefore likely to be particularly effective in prevention of stroke
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recent studies have shown that visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is a powerful risk factor for stroke , is reduced by calcium channel blockers and diuretics , and increased by β-blockers .
However , it is unknown whether these effects are dose-dependent and persist in combination with other drugs .
Losartan potassium lowers blood pressure measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Objectives : To determine the blood pressure lowering effect and safety of losartan potassium 50 mg once or twice daily , or l00 mg once daily , using 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and conventional trough clinic blood pressure Design : Multicenter , double-blind , r and omized , parallel , placebo-controlled trial Setting : Nine sites in university hospitals and urban centers in the United States Patients : 122 mild to moderate hypertensive adult non-black men and women , 21 years of age and older , who were within 30 % of their ideal body weight Intervention : Qualification required a mean 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement of > 85 mmHg and a sitting diastolic blood pressure of 95–115 mmHg . Subjects were then r and omized to placebo or losartan potassium in three different dose regimens Clinic blood pressure evaluations : Trough blood pressure was measured by trained observers using st and ardized methods , and ambulatory blood pressure measurements were obtained for 26 h using a SpaceLabs Model 90207 monitor Results : All doses of losartan potassium significantly decreased mean systolic 24-h ambulatory blood pressure ( range –9.4 to –14.2 mmHg ; P<0.01 ) and mean diastolic 24-h ambulatory blood pressure ( range –5.6 to –9.0 mmHg ; P<0.01 ) compared with placebo . All decreases were significantly different from placebo . The 24-h blood pressure profiles revealed a smooth , sustained antihypertensive effect of losartan potassium at all doses . Similar reductions in blood pressure were observed using trough clinic measurements . There were no significant differences in overall clinical adverse experiences between treatment groups . There were no significant changes in heart rate , body weight , electrocardiograms or mean laboratory measurements Conclusions : Losartan potassium , the first of a new class of potent and specific AT1-selective , non-peptide , angiotensin II antagonists , significantly reduces mean 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and trough clinic sitting blood pressure , and is well
Effects of antihypertensive drugs on SBP variability are dose-dependent and persist when used in combinations .
Use of a high dose of a calcium channel blocker alone or in combination with other agents is therefore likely to be particularly effective in prevention of stroke
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recent studies have shown that visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is a powerful risk factor for stroke , is reduced by calcium channel blockers and diuretics , and increased by β-blockers .
However , it is unknown whether these effects are dose-dependent and persist in combination with other drugs .