title: Antihypertensive therapy in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension: third progress report of the Syst-Eur trial.
abstract: The Syst-Eur trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that examines the hypothesis that antihypertensive treatment can prevent or delay cardiovascular complications in elderly patients (> 60 years) with isolated systolic hypertension. On March, 1st 1993 a total of 1395 patients with a sitting systolic blood pressure on placebo averaging 160-219 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure < 95 mmHg were randomised into this trial. The placebo and active treatment groups were similar at randomisation with respect to age (72 +/- 7 years, mean +/- SD), percentage of women (68%), percentage of patients with cardiovascular complications (30%) and sitting blood pressures (175 +/- 12/85 +/- 6 mmHg). The fall in sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures from baseline to 2 years was significantly more pronounced (p < 0.001) in the actively treated (-22 +/- 18/-6 +/- 9 mmHg) as compared with the placebo treated Syst-Eur patients (-10 +/- 20/-1 +/- 9 mmHg). Active treatment consists of nitrendipine if necessary associated with a converting-enzyme inhibitor and a thiazide. Whether treatment with these antihypertensive agents results in a clinically meaningful reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is the subject of investigation in this trial.
authors.affiliation: U.Z. Gasthuisberg, O&N Hypertension Unit, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amery
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Antikainen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bert
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Birkenhäger
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bulpitt
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Dollery
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forette
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hakamäki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D003971:Diastole; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004656:Enalapril / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006852:Hydrochlorothiazide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009568:Nitrendipine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011187:Posture; D013599:Systole
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D006852:Hydrochlorothiazide; D004656:Enalapril; D009568:Nitrendipine