High doses of lercanidipine are better tolerated than other dihydropyridines in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome: results from the TOLERANCE study.
OBJECTIVE
The TOlerabilidad de LERcanidipino 20 mg frente a Amlodipino y Nifedipino en CondicionEs normales de uso study was aimed to compare the tolerability of high doses of lercanidipine with amlodipine and nifedipine gastro-intestinal therapeutic system (GITS) in the treatment of hypertension in daily clinical practice.


METHODS
Essential hypertensives >or= 18 years, treated during at least 1 month with lercanidipine 20 mg, amlodipine 10 mg or nifedipine GITS 60 mg, after a previous treatment course of at least 1 month with half the dose of the corresponding drugs were included. We present the data of the subgroup of patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS).


RESULTS
Three hundred and thirty-seven of the 650 study population fulfilled criteria of MetS, 233 (69.1%) on lercanidipine and 104 (30.9%) on amlodipine/nifedipine GITS. Overall, a significantly lower proportion of lercanidipine-treated patients showed adverse reactions (ARs) when compared with patients receiving other-dihydropyridines (DHPs) (60.1% vs. 73.1%, p = 0.003). Similarly, the most common vasodilation-related ARs (oedema, swelling, flushing and headache) were significantly less frequent in lercanidipine group (all p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, lercanidipine appears to exhibit a better tolerability profile and less vasodilation-related ARs compared with other DHPs in hypertensive patients with MetS.
Barrios
V
V
Department of Cardiology, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain. vbarriosa@meditex.es
Escobar
C
C
de la Figuera
M
M
Honorato
J
J
Llisterri
J L
JL
Segura
J
J
Calderón
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D017311:Amlodipine; D009543:Nifedipine; C060343:lercanidipine