[Evaluation of lercanidipine in the general practice setting].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the efficacy and tolerability of a long-acting dihydropyridine in the clinical settings of general practice.


METHODS
110 essential hypertensives were included (age 62.3 +/- 10.8 years, 51 men and 53 women, 38/ obese -IMC >30 kg/m2, ten diabetics). 104 patients ended the followup. Patients were treated with lercanidipine 10 mg once daily in the morning. Follow-up lasted 6 months. When blood pressure was not controlled (BP < 140/90 mmHg) in any visit, a second drug was added, excluding calcium channel blockers. Antiadrenergic drugs were recommended. If patients were not controlled ittwo consecutive visits they were excluded from follow-up.


RESULTS
Significant reductions in both systolic (baseline 157.4 +/- 11.7 vs 131.1 +/- 6.8 mmHg, p < 0,001) and diastolic BP (baseline 94.7 +/- 5.8 vs 80.0 +/- 5.5 mmHg, p < 0,001) were attained at six months. Mean SBP decrease was 26.7 mmHg and mean DBP reduction was 15.6 mmHg. At the study end, 84.3/ of the patients achieved a BP < 140/90 mmHg. Thirty patients needed a second drug to become controlled (26 at the study end). The overall incidence of adverse effects was 4,4/ (n=6) and just three patients withdrew the treatment due to untoward effects. Plasmatic cholesterol lowered from 225.3 +/- 41.0 to 216.7 +/- 25.3 mg/dl (p = 0,03) and urate decreased from 5.6 +/- 1.6 to 5.1 +/- 1.4 mgldl, p = 0,03).


CONCLUSIONS
Lercanidipine is a calcium channel blockers of high efficacy and low incidence of adverse effects in the clinical settings of general practice. It seems to have a positive metabolic effects on plasmatic levels of cholesterol and urate.
Robles
N R
NR
Unidad de Hipertensión Arterial. Hospital Infanta Cristina. Badajoz, Spain.
Canelada
J A
JA
Iglesias
M
M
Angulo
E
E
López Acedo
A
A
Díaz Olea
E
E
Cidoncha
F
F
Guerras
M
M
Fuentes
J
J
Garrido
J
J
Lapie
J
J
Peña
J
J
Aguilar
A
A
Hidalgo
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000187:drug effects*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D014527:Uric Acid; D002784:Cholesterol; C060343:lercanidipine