Tolerability and antihypertensive efficacy of fosinopril on 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive elderly subjects

Summary lerability and antihypertensive efficacy of Fosinopril were assessed in 34 elderly patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) was measured before and after 5 months of therapy. The patientsʹ mean age was 67 years. At the end of the treatment the mean 24-hour systolic BP (SBP) fell from 153.4 ± 14 to 137.7 ± 13 mmHg and the mean 24-hour diastolic BP from 91 ± 11 to 84.2 ± 9 mmHg (p < 0.01). The mean decrease in SBP was 15.9 mmHg during the day and 10.3 during the night, and in diastolic BP (DBP) 8.3 mmHg during the day and 10.3 mmHg during the night (p < 0.05 between day and night). There was no significant percentage difference between the SBP and DBP decreases. The mean morning maximum of SBP decreased from 171 ± 18 to 158 ± 19 mmHg and there was a reduction in pressure increase between the night and day. The number of SBP peaks over 180 mmHg and 160 mmHg numerically decreased to 20.1 % and 37.6 % versus baseline, those of DBP over 105 mmHg and 95 mmHg to 41.6 % and 58.3 % versus baseline, respectively. There were no variations in the blood chemistry parameters and the drug had no adverse side effects. The authors conclude that Fosinopril is useful and well tolerated in the treatment of moderate hypertension in the elderly.