Add-on therapy with doxazosin in patients with hypertension influences arterial stiffness and albuterol-mediated arterial vasodilation.
OBJECTIVE
Doxazosin is an antihypertensive agent with largely unknown effects on arterial stiffness and vasodilation. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the addition of doxazosin extended-release (ER) to the standard management of hypertension in patients with inadequately controlled blood pressure (BP) on arterial stiffness and arterial vasodilation.


METHODS
Twenty patients with inadequately controlled hypertension were treated with 4 mg doxazosin ER daily for 16 weeks as an adjunct to their existing antihypertensive regimen.


RESULTS
Doxazosin ER add-on therapy was associated with significantly reduced systolic (P < 0.0001) and diastolic (P = 0.0003) BP, improved arterial stiffness (determined by digital volume pulse analysis (P = 0.048) and albuterol-mediated arterial vasodilation (P = 0.030).


CONCLUSIONS
Add-on therapy with 4 mg of doxazosin ER daily reduces BP and arterial stiffness and improves arterial vasodilation in response to adrenergic stimulation.
Wykretowicz
Andrzej
A
Division of Cardiology-Intensive Therapy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland. awykreto@ptkardio.pl
Guzik
Przemyslaw
P
Krauze
Tomasz
T
Adamska
Karolina
K
Milewska
Agata
A
Wysocki
Henryk
H
D000420:Albuterol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D017292:Doxazosin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D017292:Doxazosin; D000420:Albuterol