Long term effect of nifedipine GITS and lisinopril on subclinical organ damage in patients with essential hypertension.
BACKGROUND
Preventing subclinical organ damage is currently a major issue in the management of patients with essential hypertension. Antihypertensive drugs which act through different pathophysiological mechanisms might confer specific target organ protection beyond what is already provided by their blood pressure lowering effect.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with essential hypertension were randomized to receive long-term treatment with either a calcium channel blocker (nifedipine GITS, 90 mg/day) or an ACE-inhibitor (lisinopril, 20 mg/day). Blood pressure, left ventricular mass, carotid wall thickness and timed urinary albumin excretion were measured at baseline and over the course of 24 months of treatment.


RESULTS
Both regimens significantly lowered mean blood pressure over the 24 months (from 124+/-2 to 103+/-2 mmHg in the lisinopril group and from 122+/-2 to 104+/-1 in the nifedipine group). Overall, end-organ damage improved with persistent blood pressure control. However, the two treatments had different specific effects. Lisinopril induced a more pronounced reduction of the left ventricular mass index (from 56+/-3 to 52+/-2 g/m2.7, P< 0.05) and urinary albumin excretion (from 34+/-15 to 9+/-2 microg/min, P< 0.01), while nifedipine achieved a greater reduction of carotid intima plus media thickness (from 0.8+/-0.06 to 0.6+/-0.06 mm, P< 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Blood pressure control does help reduce the severity of organ damage in patients with essential hypertension. Different antihypertensive treatments may confer additional specific cardiorenal and vascular protection regardless of blood pressure control. These data could be useful when devising individualized therapeutic strategies in high-risk hypertensive patients.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy. rpontrem@tin.it
R
R
Pontremoli
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F
Viazzi
M
M
Ravera
G
G
Leoncini
V
V
Berruti
G P
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Bezante
M
M
Del Sette
G
G
Deferrari
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017706:Lisinopril / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D017706:Lisinopril; D009543:Nifedipine