[Efficacy and acceptability of lercanidipine are not age dependent in patients with essential hypertension: the AGATE study].
Calcium channel blockers (CCB) are known to be more efficacious and better tolerated in elderly patients. Lercanidipine is a highly lipophilic CCB with a specific safety profile linked to its pharmacokinetics.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of lercanidipine according to age.


METHODS
Two groups of hypertensive patients (G1: aged < 65, G2: aged > or = 65) entered an open study conducted over 56 days. All received lercanidipine 10 mg/d (monotherapy or add-on), titrated to 20 mg/d if blood pressure (BP) was not controlled at D28. BP was measured using a semi-automatic device at doctor's office (three measurements at 1-min intervals) and at home by the patient himself (three measurements in the morning and in the evening at 1-min intervals over the 7 days before D0 and D56).


RESULTS
Seven hundred and fifty-six patients entered the study. Thirty-eight patients dropped out prematurely and 30 were excluded because they were normotensive; 691 patients (G1 n = 375, G2 n = 316) were kept for analysis. At the end of the study, 507 patients were treated with lercanidipine alone (10 mg/d n = 221, 20 mg/d n = 286) and 184 with a combination including lercanidipine (10 mg/d n = 91, 20 mg/d n = 93). Efficacy was not different between the groups excepted home pulse pressure which decreased more in G2. In the office, SBP decreased by 17 and 21 mmHg, respectively, for G1 and G2, and DBP by 9 and 10 mmHg. The prevalence of leg edema was not different between G1 and G2 and was particularly low in both groups (3%).


CONCLUSIONS
Lercanidipine was as efficacious and well tolerated in younger patients as in elderly patients.
Poncelet
P
P
Polyclinique de Hénin-Beaumont, route de Courrières, BP 199, 62256 Hénin-Beaumont, cedex, France. pponcelet@ahnac.com
Ribstein
J
J
Goullard
L
L
Bassous
M
M
Grès
C Scart
CS
Clerson
P
P
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004487:Edema / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D004095:Dihydropyridines; C060343:lercanidipine