title: Reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy following once daily administration of felodipine for two years to elderly subjects with isolated systolic hypertension.
abstract: Left ventricular mass sometimes decreases during the treatment of hypertension. In a two-year open study, we investigated the ability of extended release (ER) felodipine (5 or 10 mg), plus chlorthalidone (25 mg), given once daily, to reduce left ventricular mass in 84 elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension. Drug dosage was determined in an initial stepped-care titration phase lasting six weeks. Mean systolic blood pressure decreased after two years of treatment with 5 or 10 mg of felodipine (p < 0. 001) and the left ventricular mass index decreased too (p < 0.0001). One or two weeks after withdrawal of therapies, blood pressure returned to pretreatment values. We concluded that left ventricular mass can be reduced in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension and ventricular hypertrophy who receive felodipine 5-10 mg once daily. This treatment was generally well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Clinico di Medicina Interna, Geriatria, Patologia Cardiovascolare ed Immunitaria, Cardiochirurgia, Riabilitazione Cardiovascolare, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: De Rosa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Della Guardia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maddaluno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lionetti
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marsicani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vigorito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002752:Chlorthalidone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004452:Echocardiography; D015736:Felodipine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D013599:Systole; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D015736:Felodipine; D002752:Chlorthalidone