title: [Combination therapy versus monotherapy: which strategy is better?].
abstract: In patients without target organ damage, a pharmacological antihypertensive therapy can be initiated with a monotherapy or a low dose combination therapy. A monotherapy often suffices to control blood pressure in patients with mild hypertension (140-159 mmHg systolic or 90-99 mmHg diastolic). In order to select the blood pressure-lowering drug that is best suited for an individual, monotherapies should be sequentially rotated, because it cannot be predicted to which drug a patient will best respond. Early initiation of a combination therapy is a good alternative. Theoretically, almost any of the six commonly used groups of antihypertensive drugs (ACE-Inihibitors, Angiotensin II-Receptor Antagonists, Beta-blockers, Calcium antagonists, Diuretics and Alpha blockers) can be combined with each other. However, combinations of Thiazid diuretics with inhibitors of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (Beta blockers, ACE-Inhibitors, Angiotensin II-Receptor blockers) have proven most useful.
authors.affiliation: Geriatriespital Adullam-Stiftung, Basel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aellig
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Battegay
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents