Captopril is an Effective Antihypertensive Agent in General Practice And .ppe .... to be well tolerated, partIcuIartJ In eIdeIty petIenta

In a multicantre open-label general practice study. 2734 outpatients with eaaential hypertension were followed through 3 months of treatment with captopril 50mg bid (35%). 25mg bid (26%). 25mg tid (19%) or other dosages (20%). The dose was adjusted by the prescribing physician and a diuretic was administered if necessary. 1904 patients attended all follow-up visits and their mean sitting BP progressively decreased from 183/104 to 158/88mm Hg. the change being significant after 15 days. The antihypertensive effect was the same for patients ~ 50 years (23%). patients between 51 and 59 years (28%) and patients ~ 60 years (48%). Adverse effects occurred in 7.5% of patients after 15 days and in only 0.2% of patients at the completion of the study. There was a tendency towards fewer side effects in the oldest age group. The authors concluded that captopril is effective and well tolerated in the chronic treatment of outpatients with essential hypertension. particularly those over 60 years of age. Liberatone SM. Gotta G. Cardiovascular Reviews and Reports 7: 2943. Jan 1986

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