Comparison of low doses of hydrochlorothiazide plus amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide alone in hypertension in elderly patients.
A randomised, double-blind study comparing 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide plus 2.5 mg of amiloride with 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide alone was conducted in 40 elderly patients with mild to moderate hypertension. After 8 weeks of treatment, the target blood pressure, supine diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg, was obtained in 73% of the hydrochlorothiazide plus amiloride treated patients (n = 17) and in 41% of the hydrochlorothiazide treated patients (n = 19; p less than 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in blood pressure reduction between the 2 groups. Four patients dropped out, 3 of them due to side-effects. Serum potassium and magnesium concentrations were reduced in the hydrochlorothiazide group and serum sodium concentration in the hydrochlorothiazide plus amiloride group. Our results suggest that in elderly hypertensive subjects, a higher proportion of patients could be managed with the low dose hydrochlorothiazide plus amiloride regimen than with the low dose hydrochlorothiazide regimen.
D000368:Aged; D000584:Amiloride / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006852:Hydrochlorothiazide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000139:chemically induced
D004338:Drug Combinations; D006852:Hydrochlorothiazide; D000584:Amiloride