title: Influence of co-dergocrine mesilate/nifedipine compared to mefruside/nifedipine on circadian blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: This randomised, parallel group study was designed to compare the efficacy of nifedipine (40 mg once daily) combined with either the dopamine agonist, co-dergocrine mesilate (4 mg once daily) or the diuretic mefruside (25 mg once daily) in 40 patients with essential arterial hypertension and a diastolic blood pressure greater than 105 mmHg. Circadian blood pressure and heart rate were measured over 24 h every 15 min from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and every 30 min from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with an automatic, portable instrument (ICR 5300, Squibb) before and after a three-week treatment period. At the end of the three-week treatment period the mean value of all 24 h blood pressure measurements reflected highly significant decreases (2P less than 0.001), from 148/92 +/- 16/12 before treatment to 131/83 +/- 12/12 mmHg after treatment in the co-dergocrine mesilate/nifedipine group and from 145/92 +/- 16/10 before treatment to 129/84 +/- 10/6 mmHg after treatment in the mefruside/nifedipine group. Blood pressure reduction was still significant in both groups during the early morning hours at the end of the dosage interval. The efficacies of nifedipine combined with co-dergocrine mesilate or mefruside were comparable but side-effects were rated as more severe in the mefruside group. Therefore, the combination co-dergocrine mesilate/nifedipine may be preferable to the combination mefruside/nifedipine.
authors: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Frankfurt, FRG.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Kirsten
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Heller
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Heintz
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004088:Dihydroergotoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008529:Mefruside / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D004088:Dihydroergotoxine; D009543:Nifedipine; D008529:Mefruside