Do changes in dietary salt influence blood pressure of hypertensive patients pharmacologically controlled with verapamil? The Salt-Switching-Study (SSS).
To study how changes in dietary salt influence the blood pressure (BP) of pharmacologically controlled hypertensive patients, we have selected from a large multicenter trial two subgroups of 14 and 16 patients who attained BP control (office DBP < 90 mm Hg) after a 4-week treatment with verapamil SR 240 mg once daily, either under an unrestricted salt diet (high-salt; 14 patients) or under a moderately restricted salt diet (low-salt; 16 patients). All of them were switched to the opposite dietary salt regimen and continued on verapamil for 4 more weeks (Salt-Switching-Period). Office BP and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) were registered before and after the Salt-Switching-Period. Salt intake was checked by urinary sodium excretion (UNa). Patients switching from high- to low-salt reduced UNa from 180.9 +/- 22.9 to 89 +/- 28 mM Na/24h (P < 0.001) and patients switching from low- to high-salt increased UNa from 85 +/- 38.4 to 175.8 +/- 57.5 mM Na/24h (P < 0.001). No significant changes in BP were found by ABPM either in the group switching from high- to low-salt or in the group switching from low- to high-salt. In the latter group, a significant increase was observed in office DPB but not in SBP. Short-term changes in salt intake seem to have little influence on the BP of patients pharmacologically controlled with verapamil.
Redón
J
J
Sagunto Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
Lozano
J V
JV
de la Figuera
M
M
Rodriguez
J C
JC
Garrido
J
J
Alés-Martínez
J E
JE
Alvarez-Cantalapiedra
I
I
Velasco-Quintana
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D014700:Verapamil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D012964:Sodium; D014700:Verapamil