title: Effect of eprosartan-based therapy on systolic blood pressure and total cardiovascular risk in a large international population: preliminary report of the observational POWER study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Estimation of total cardiovascular risk is useful for developing preventive strategies for individual patients. The POWER (Physicians' Observational Work on Patient Education According to their Vascular Risk) survey, a 6-month, open-label, multinational, post-marketing observational evaluation of eprosartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of eprosartan-based therapy in the treatment of high arterial blood pressure in a large population recruited from 16 countries with varying degrees of baseline cardiovascular risk, and the effect of eprosartan-based therapy on total cardiovascular risk, as represented by the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Assessment) or Framingham risk equations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participating physicians recruited > 29,000 hypertensive patients whom they considered to be candidates (according to specified criteria) for treatment with eprosartan 600 mg/day, with other drugs added at the discretion of the physician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During treatment, systolic blood pressure decreased by 25.8 ± 14.4 mmHg to 134.6 ± 11.4 mmHg (P < 0.001), mean diastolic blood pressure fell by 12.6 ± 9.5 mmHg to 81.1 ± 7.6 mmHg, and pulse pressure fell by 13.2 ± 13.5 mmHg to 53.6 ± 11.4 mmHg (both P < 0.01). Calculated total cardiovascular risk declined in parallel with the reduction in blood pressure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The POWER study has demonstrated, in a large and nonselected population, the feasibility and practicability of reducing total cardiovascular risk through systematic management of high blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Queen Giovanna University Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria;
authors.forename: Assen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goudev
authors.forename: Jean-Pascal
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Berrou
authors.forename: Atul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pathak
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057912:Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011358:Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013599:Systole; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D057912:Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Blockers; D007093:Imidazoles; D013876:Thiophenes; C068373:eprosartan