title: Lercanidipine, enalapril and their combination in the treatment of elderly hypertensive patients: placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study with four ABPM.
abstract: This double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-way balanced design crossover study included hypertensive patients aged 60-85 years with mean office-measured sitting systolic blood pressure (SBP) 160-179 mm Hg and daytime SBP > or =135 mm Hg. After a 2-week run-in period, during which previous medications were discontinued, each patient received the following four treatments in randomized order for 4 weeks each: lercanidipine 10 mg (L), enalapril 20 mg (E), lercanidipine 10 mg plus enalapril 20 mg (L/E) and placebo (P). At the end of each treatment period, office trough blood pressure (BP) was measured and a 24-h Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) was performed. Seventy-five patients (mean age 66 years, office BP 168/92 mm Hg, daytime SBP 151 mm Hg) were randomized and 62 completed the study with four valid post-baseline ABPMs. The administration of P, L, E and L/E was associated with a mean 24-h SBP of 144, 137, 133 and 127 mm Hg, respectively. All active treatments significantly reduced the mean 24-h SBP in comparison with placebo, but L/E was significantly more effective than L and E alone. Similarly, office SBP was significantly more reduced with L/E (-16.9 mm Hg) than with L (-5.0 mm Hg) or E (-5.9 mm Hg). A BP <140/90 mm Hg was recorded in 18% of patients with L, 19% with E and 45% with L/E. Two patients on P and two on L/E were withdrawn from the study due to adverse events. In conclusion, combination therapy with L/E has additive antihypertensive effects on both ambulatory and office BP in elderly patients and is well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. doctorgpuig@yahoo.es
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Puig
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Luurila
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luurila
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sulosaari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strandberg
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghezzi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003971:Diastole; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004656:Enalapril / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D013599:Systole; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D010919:Placebos; D004656:Enalapril; C060343:lercanidipine