title: Effect of irbesartan monotherapy compared with ACE inhibitors and calcium-channel blockers on patient compliance in essential hypertension patients: a multicenter, open-labeled, three-armed study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This multicenter, three-armed, open-labeled study investigated patient compliance of patients receiving irbesartan, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or calcium-channel blockers (CCB) for essential hypertension for a 6-month period. Patients were either newly diagnosed or switched from existing antihypertensive medication due to lack of efficacy or side-effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were started monotherapy with irbesartan (n=377), ACE inhibitors (n=298) or CCB (n=308) and were reevaluated on 1st, 3rd, and 6th months of the treatment. The primary endpoint was patient compliance, assessed by proportion of patients who had taken their study medication every day. Efficacy was recorded as mean reductions in blood pressure and the proportion of patients whose blood pressure normalized. Tolerability was assessed by reported adverse events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly more patients receiving irbesartan had complied with study medication after 3 and 6 months of treatment than ACE inhibitors or CCB. Significantly fewer patients receiving irbesartan needed to change their antihypertensive medication. All three study treatments exhibited similar efficacy profiles, but irbesartan had significantly less adverse events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that patient compliance to irbesartan was significantly superior to other study treatments. Irbesartan is therefore a suitable first-line therapy for essential hypertension in everyday clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. nevres@koylan.com
authors.forename: Nevres
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koylan
authors.forename: Esmeray
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Acarturk
authors.forename: Aykan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canberk
authors.forename: Nail
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Caglar
authors.forename: Sali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caglar
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdine
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guneri
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ilerigelen
authors.forename: Giray
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kabakci
authors.forename: Remzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Onder
authors.forename: Olcay
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sagkan
authors.forename: Kemalettin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buyukozturk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077405:Irbesartan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D013777:Tetrazoles; D000077405:Irbesartan