title: Comparison of the effects of terazosin and enalapril on laboratory stress testing blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: It is the current opinion that an ideal antihypertensive drug should reduce blood pressure (BP) not only at rest but also during stressful situations. The current study was aimed to compare the effects of the selective alpha 1-adrenergic blocker terazosin (5 mg once daily) and of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril (20 mg once daily) on cardiovascular response to a set of standardized laboratory stressors, such as mental arithmetic, handgrip test and cycle ergometry, in a group of 16 essential hypertensive patients. The study was a randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial preceded by a placebo run-in period. Terazosin and enalapril had a comparable effect on resting BP, reducing systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure from 159.5 +/- 13.9/101.6 +/- 8.8 mm Hg during placebo by 7.8%/6.7% and by 11.3%/10.2%, respectively. The "response" rate to the two treatments was approximately the same, being 69% and 75% after terazosin and enalapril, respectively. During mental arithmetic, from an average of 181.6 +/- 17.8/118.6 +/- 11.5 mm Hg during placebo, BP was reduced by 11.5%/7.9% after terazosin and by 13.6%/8.5% after enalapril; during handgrip test, BP decreased from 207.2 +/- 22.2/142.2 +/- 13.6 mm Hg by 7.3%/8.4% after terazosin and by 7.7%/7.1% after enalapril; finally, during cycle ergometry, terazosin and enalapril lowered BP by 5.4%/6.7% and 7%/3.1%, respectively, from a placebo value of 215.5 +/- 17.3/127.6 +/- 11.2. No significant difference in antihypertensive efficacy was observed between the two drugs, either at rest and during stress testing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Speciale Medica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cardillo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Degen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Campia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Felice
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Folli
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004656:Enalapril / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011224:Prazosin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D004656:Enalapril; C041226:Terazosin; D011224:Prazosin