Are effects of antihypertensive treatment on lipoproteins merely "side-effects"? A comparison of prazosin and metoprolol.
Thirty-seven patients with a supine systolic blood pressure greater than 160 and/or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 95 mmHg were enrolled in the study and treated for 6 months with prazosin and 6 months with metoprolol (in random order). Neither the systolic nor the diastolic blood pressures differed after the two types of treatment (median difference 0/0 mmHg). The mean and median differences in serum cholesterol, however, were 0.4 and 0.3 mmol/l respectively, which were 9 and 5% of the pretreatment values. The corresponding differences in the atherogenic index (in which cholesterol in high density lipoproteins is integrated) were 10 and 8% of the pretreatment values. This difference in the metabolic response to the two drugs at the same blood pressure level is most probably of importance in the long-term prevention of ischaemic heart disease, for which high levels of serum cholesterol and atherogenic index are major risk factors.
Lithell
H
H
Department of Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Haglund
K
K
Granath
F
F
Ostman
J
J
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008790:Metoprolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011224:Prazosin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation
D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008790:Metoprolol; D011224:Prazosin