title: Antihypertensive treatment in patients with class 3 obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Even though patients with class 3 obesity (body mass index ≥ 40 kg/m(2)) are prone to arterial hypertension and respond less to antihypertensive drugs, they are not considered in hypertension treatment guidelines and data from prospective clinical trials are lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a post hoc analysis of a clinical trial, we compared patients with class 3 obesity with patients with class 1/2 obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood pressure control in class 3 obesity was less likely to be achieved with hydrochlorothiazide monotherapy. While addition of amlodipine, irbesartan, or aliskiren to hydrochlorothiazide improved the blood pressure response, amlodipine was less effective and induced peripheral edema in 19% of patients with class 3 obesity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Sam W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Boye
authors.forename: Stephanie Le
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Breton
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Keefe
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engeli
authors.forename: Margaret Forney
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Prescott