title: Comparison of felodipine and enalapril monotherapy in essential hypertension.
abstract: This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of monotherapy with felodipine and enalapril in patients with essential hypertension using a double-blind randomised crossover design. Thirty-five subjects (22 male, 13 female--ages: median 48 years, range 31-69 years) entered the randomised phases of the study and 32 subjects completed the study. Following a 4-week run-in placebo phase, the treatments were felodipine ("Plendil ER") 5-20 mg and enalapril 5-20 mg orally once daily for 8 weeks, each with matching placebos. Dose titration was at 2 and/or 4 weeks in each phase. Number of subjects with each different end-of-phase dose were for felodipine: 5 mg--8, 10 mg--11, 20 mg--13 and enalapril: 5 mg--6, 10 mg--9, 20 mg--17. Predose supine blood pressure (mean +/- SEM) was reduced in both active treatment phases compared with the run-in phase (159 + 2/101 +/- 1), but there was no significant difference in blood pressure between the active phases: felodipine 143 +/- 2/90 +/- 1 and enalapril 146 +/- 2/92 +/- 1. The most common adverse effects were for felodipine: headache, flushing, ankle swelling; and for enalapril: cough. Felodipine and enalapril as once daily monotherapy are thus of similar antihypertensive efficacy but with predictably different adverse effect profiles.
authors.affiliation: Investigator Clinic, Port Lincoln, Australia.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dufek
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wing
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004656:Enalapril / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015736:Felodipine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D004656:Enalapril; D015736:Felodipine