title: Long-term acceptability of perindopril: European multicenter trial on 856 patients.
abstract: The acceptability of perindopril in the long-term treatment of patients with mild to severe essential hypertension was assessed in a large European multicenter trial including 856 patients. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at inclusion was 95-125 mm Hg after 1 month of placebo. Normalization of blood pressure was defined as a DBP less than or equal to 90 mm Hg. Treatment was started with perindopril 4 mg once daily and increased when necessary to 8 mg daily. If DBP was not controlled, a second drug (hydrochlorothiazide) and finally a third drug were added. After 1 year of treatment in all 690 evaluable patients, supine systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 29 mm Hg (from 172 +/- 1 to 143 +/- 1 mm Hg, p less than 0.001) and 19 mm Hg (from 105 +/- 1 to 86 +/- 1 mm Hg, p less than 0.001), respectively. Perindopril monotherapy normalized blood pressure in 55% of patients and total percentage of normalization was 78%. The overall incidence of withdrawals for side effects was 6.8%, the most common side effect being cough (2.2%). The most frequent complaints reported were cough (7.0%), headache (5.6%), asthenia (5.1%), mood and/or sleep disturbance (5.1%), and dizziness (3.2%). The small changes observed in hematologic and biochemical parameters were not clinically relevant.
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Clinic, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Degaute
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leeman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Desche
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007211:Indoles / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D020913:Perindopril
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D007211:Indoles; D020913:Perindopril