Biomedical subjects

R Fogari

Publications and source records attributed to R Fogari.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

The epidemiology of resting heart rate in a male working population: association with blood pressure, age, smoking habits and other cardiovascular risk factors.

AIM: To evaluate heart rate and its relationship with some established cardiovascular risk factors in normotensive and hypertensive individuals. METHODS: We studied 881 1 men, 696 with essential hypertension and 8115 with normal blood pressure, stratified in four age groups: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years. Clinical evaluation included measures of heart rate (by pulse palpation), blood pressure (by mercury sphygmomanometer), total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose and fibrinogen, and details of medical history and personal habits, with particular regard to smoking habits. RESULTS: Heart rate, which was significantly higher in hypertensive than in normotensive individuals, showed no significant change with age in the normotensive group, but a slight decline with increasing age in those with hypertension. In the normotensive group, heart rate was significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers and ex-smokers, and showed no significant variation with increasing age, independently of smoking habits. Among those with hypertension, heart rate was not statistically different in smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers, and showed a moderate decrease with age in non-smokers and ex-smokers, but did not change with age in smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Both ageing and smoking habits have different effects on heart rate in normotensive and hypertensive individuals.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Effects of a restricted sleep regimen on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in normotensive subjects.

The influence of sleep deprivation during the first part of the night on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was studied in 18 normotensive subjects. They underwent two ABPM, one week apart: during the first, they slept from 11 PM to 7 AM, and during the second, from 2 AM to 7 AM. The main differences were observed at dawn, before awakening, when SBP and DBP significantly decreased (P < .01) in the restricted sleep regimen, and during the morning after the recovery sleep, when SBP and HR significantly increased (P < .05). The explanation for these findings is not obvious. We suppose that the decrease in SBP and DBP at dawn might be due to a reorganization of the sleep phases in the restricted sleep regimen, whereas the increase in SBP and HR after awakening might be due to a greater sympathetic activation, as though sleep deprivation was a stressful condition.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Valsartan, a new angiotensin II antagonist for the treatment of essential hypertension: a comparative study of the efficacy and safety against amlodipine.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the antihypertensive efficacy of a new angiotensin II antagonist, valsartan, with a reference therapy, amlodipine. METHODS: One hundred sixty-eight adult outpatients with mild to moderate hypertension were randomly allocated in double-blind fashion and equal number to receive 80 mg valsartan or 5 mg amlodipine for 12 weeks. After 8 weeks of therapy, in patients whose blood pressure remained uncontrolled, 5 mg amlodipine was added to the initial therapy. Patients were assessed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The primary efficacy variable was change from baseline in mean sitting diastolic blood pressure at 8 weeks. Secondary variables included change in sitting systolic blood pressure and responder rates. RESULTS: Both valsartan and amlodipine were effective at lowering blood pressure at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Similar decreases were observed in both groups, with no statistically significant differences between the groups for any variable analyzed. For the primary variable the difference was 0.5 mm Hg in favor of valsartan (p = 0.68; 95% confidence interval, -2.7 to 1.7). Responder rates at 8 weeks were 66.7% for valsartan and 60.2% for amlodipine (p = 0.39). Both treatments were well tolerated. The incidence of drug-related dependent edema was somewhat higher in the amlodipine group, particularly at a dose of 10 mg per day (2.4% for 80 mg valsartan; 3.6% for 5 mg amlodipine; 0% for valsartan plus 5 mg amlodipine; 14.3% for 10 mg amlodipine). CONCLUSIONS: The data show that valsartan is at least as effective as amlodipine in the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension. The results also show valsartan to be well tolerated and suggest that it is not associated with side effects characteristic of this comparator class, dihydropyridine calcium antagonists.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Valsartan, a new angiotensin II antagonist for the treatment of essential hypertension: efficacy and safety compared with placebo and enalapril.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the antihypertensive efficacy and systemic tolerability of valsartan, a new angiotensin II receptor antagonist, with placebo and with an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, enalapril. DESIGN: A total of 348 adult outpatients with mild-to-moderate uncomplicated essential hypertension participated in this double-blind, parallel, study. Patients were allocated randomly in a ratio of 2:2:1 to receive 80 mg valsartan once a day, 20 mg enalapril once a day, or placebo for 8 weeks in general practice. Patients were assessed at 4 and 8 weeks of therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary efficacy variable was the change from baseline in mean sitting diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) after 8 weeks of therapy. Secondary variables included the change in sitting systolic blood pressure (SSBP) and response rates at 8 weeks. RESULTS: Valsartan and enalapril produced statistically significant reductions in diastolic and systolic blood pressures compared with placebo. Similar falls were found in both of the active treatment groups with mean changes in SDBP at 8 weeks of -9.5 mmHg for valsartan and -9.4 mmHg for enalapril (-4.5 mmHg for placebo). No significant differences between valsartan and enalapril were found for reductions in SDBP or SSBP. Response rates at 8 weeks were significantly greater for valsartan (54%) and enalapril (58%) than for placebo (20%), with no significant difference between the two active treatments. Both valsartan and enalapril demonstrated a consistent antihypertensive effect over time, with 90% of patients with a response at 4 weeks responding at 8 weeks. Both of the treatments were tolerated well. Although the incidence of coughing was generally low in the study, more cases were reported with enalapril (three) than with valsartan (one) or placebo (none). CONCLUSIONS: The data show 80 mg valsartan once a day to be as effective as 20 mg enalapril once a day in the treatment of mild-to-moderate hypertension. Valsartan is tolerated well and does not appear to be associated with any increase in the incidence of coughing.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Repeated office blood pressure controls reduce the prevalence of white-coat hypertension and detect a group of white-coat normotensive patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether repeated office blood pressure controls may change the prevalence of white-coat hypertension among hypertensive patients. METHODS: We studied 221 newly diagnosed, never-treated hypertensive patients, all men, aged 31-60 years. On the first visit, they underwent sitting blood pressure measurements (two readings were taken by mercury sphygmomanometer and averaged) and non-invasive 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) every 15 min. Thereafter, each patient made four further visits over an 8-week period. On each visit, three sitting readings were taken and averaged. On the last visit, ABPM was performed again. Subjects who had hypertension in the clinic but whose daytime ambulatory blood pressure was less than 134/90 mmHg were considered to have white-coat hypertension. RESULTS: On the first visit, all patients were, by definition, clinically hypertensive and ABPM detected a prevalence of white-coat hypertension of 25.8%. On the following visits, the prevalence of clinical hypertensive patients progressively declined; on the last visit, the 82.3% of all patients resulted yet clinical hypertensive: on ambulatory blood pressure 71.9% were sustained hypertensives, whereas 10.4 had white-coat hypertension. Of the patients originally labelled as hypertensive, 17.7% proved to be clinically normotensive: 13.6% had also daytime ambulatory blood pressure in the normal range, whereas 4.1% showed elevated blood pressure during daytime ABPM (white-coat normotensives). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that repeated office blood pressure controls in newly diagnosed hypertensives reduce the number of office hypertensive patients, reduce the number of white-coat hypertensive patients and detect a small group of white-coat normotensive patients.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

Cigarette smoking and blood pressure in a worker population: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking has been reported to cause an acute increase in blood pressure (BP). Nevertheless, many epidemiological studies have found lower average BP values in smokers than in non-smokers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible existence of a systematic difference in BP values between smokers and non-smokers in a worker population. METHODS: We studied 7109 employees of a metallurgical factory, all men, aged 18-60 years, 3237 non-smokers and 3872 smokers; of the latter, 816 smoked less than 10 cigarettes per day (light smokers), the others smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day. Clinical examination included measures of resting BP (by mercury sphygmomanometer), heart rate (HR) (by pulse palpation), body weight and height. Data were adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI). Four age groups (18-30, >30, >40 and >50 years) and 3 BMI groups (< 25, 25-30, >30) were considered. RESULTS: In smokers, the adjusted values of systolic BP (SBP) and HR (127.72 mmHg and 75.16 beats/min, respectively) were slightly but significantly higher than in non-smokers (127.1 mmHg, P < 0.05 and 72.64 beats/min, P < 0.001), whereas diastolic BP (DBP) was significantly lower (83.37 versus 84.31 mmHg, P < 0.001). Considering the amount of cigarettes smoked, the mean BP values of light smokers were not significantly different from those of subjects smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day, whereas HR mean values were significantly higher in the latter. The prevalence of hypertension (WHO criteria) was similar in smokers and non-smokers in each age group. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed slightly but statistically higher SBP and HR, and lower DBP mean values in smokers than in non-smokers; however, the differences in BP, although significant from the statistical point of view, were not of actual clinical significance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Evaluation of nocturnal blood pressure by the Multi-P Analysis of 24-hour ambulatory monitoring.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is utilized to identify "dippers" and "non dippers" among hypertensives. Such a classification has either prognostic or therapeutical implications. Rigid definitions of nocturnal time period (e.g., from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) may not correspond to actual sleep patterns, and thus may lead to faulty interpretations. In our study, we analyzed 32 ABPM; diurnal and nocturnal blood pressure (BP) were assessed by three different ways: the patients' diary method; fixed intervals utilized by Spacelabs software; Multi-P Analysis (MPA) of the data. MPA method proved to be effective to evaluate nocturnal BP values. In comparison with Spacelabs program, it seems to define more precisely nocturnal BP, which differs less from the real sleep-time values. This modifies the percentage of dippers, which is greater than that obtained by Spacelabs program and equal to that calculated by the patients reported nocturnal sleep intervals. These results suggest that MPA method may be a contribution to a better definition of nocturnal BP.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Evaluation by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring of efficacy of manidipine hydrochloride 10, 20 or 40 mg once daily as compared to placebo in treating mild to moderate essential hypertension: a double-blind, randomized, parallel group, placebo-controlled study.

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and relative tolerability of different doses of manidipine hydrochloride (10, 20 and 40 mg) were compared to placebo in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. After an initial 2-week run-in period on placebo, 52 patients, 32 males and 20 females, aged 40 to 63 years, were randomized to receive manidipine 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg or placebo, all administered once daily for 4 weeks. Patients were checked after the initial placebo phase and every 2 weeks thereafter. At each visit, casual BP and HR were measured. At the end of the placebo period and after 4 weeks of active treatment, non-invasive 24-h ABPM was performed. 24-h, day-time and night-time ambulatory BP as well as the area under the curve (AUC) and casual BP were dose-dependently reduced by manidipine 10, 20 and 40 mg, without changes in the normal BP circadian profile. The trough:peak ratio for both SBP and DBP was higher than 50% for all three manidipine dosage regimens. The percentage of abnormal ambulatory SBP and DBP readings was significantly reduced in all manidipine-treated groups versus placebo. The risk/benefit ratio suggests that the intermediate manidipine dosage (20 mg) could be a suitable dose regimen for the majority of patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Efficacy and tolerability of manidipine hydrochloride in the long-term treatment of mild-moderate hypertension. Manidipine Efficacy in Long-Term Treatment Group.

The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of manidipine hydrochloride, a new calcium-antagonist of the dihydropyridine group, in the long-term treatment of mild to moderate hypertension. After a 2-week run-in period on placebo, 183 patients, 98 males and 85 females, with mean age of 53.8 years, sitting DBP > or = 95 and < or = 115 mmHg and SBP < or = 210 mmHg, were given manidipine 10 mg once daily. Two weeks later, patients whose DBP was > or = 90 mmHg or with a reduction in DBP < 10 mmHg were administered with manidipine 20 mg once daily. Follow-up visits were performed at 6, 10, 14, 26, 38 and 52 weeks after starting manidipine treatment. All BP (by mercury sphygmomanometer, Korotkoff I and V) and heart rate (HR) measures were made 24 h after dosing. Adverse events and laboratory data were recorded. Particular attention was paid to the collection of possible major cardiovascular (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction) and cerebrovascular (IRA, stroke) events, observed during the treatment period. One-hundred-and-fifty-one patients completed the study (79 on a 10 mg dose and 72 on a 20 mg dose), whereas 32 dropped out (11 lost to follow-up, 11 insufficient therapeutic response, 7 ADRs, 3 other causes). Significant reductions of BP values were achieved during the manidipine 10 mg treatment period. Analysis of covariance between doses confirmed a more potent hypotensive effect of manidipine 20 mg as compared to 10 mg on sitting DBP and mean BP and on standing SBP, especially in patients with moderate hypertension. At the end of 1 year of treatment the success rates (defined as sitting DBP > or = 90 mmHg or a reduction of > or = 10 mmHg vs baseline) were similar in the two groups (manidipine 10 mg: 96.1%; manidipine 20 mg: 94.5%). No clinically relevant change in HR was observed. Overall, 28 patients (17 in the manidipine 20 mg and 11 in the manidipine 10 mg treated group) complained of adverse events, the most common being ankle oedema (4.9%), headache (3.8%), palpitation (2.7%) and flushing (2.2%). Neither cardiovascular nor cerebrovascular events or other serious adverse event were reported. In conclusion, a significant and constant reduction of BP values was observed with long-term treatment with manidipine. The reduction in BP was dose-related especially in patients suffering from moderate hypertension. Adverse events were mild and relatively more frequent with the higher manidipine dosage.

Antihypertensive Agents↗

PubMed1995

Community control of hypertension at work-site: epidemiological data of the Agusta project.

In order to set up a program of community control of hypertension at the work site, 8811 employees belonging to 12 factories of the same company (Agusta SpA, Italy) were screened. Seven hundred and seventy-two subjects (8%) were found to be hypertensive; 48% of them were hypercholesterolemic, 44% were smokers, 5% presented with hyperglycemia and 4% had left ventricular hypertrophy. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant correlation between hypertension and age, hypercholesterolemia, body mass index, occupational exposure to noise exceeding 80 dB and, below the age of 40 years, the type of job. Seven hundred and twenty-nine hypertensives were assigned to pharmacological treatment. This group of patients will be followed up for 3 years.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Effects of lisinopril vs hydralazine on left ventricular hypertrophy and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in essential hypertension.

In order to compare the long-term effects on ambulatory blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy of hydralazine and lisinopril we studied 30 patients, all males, still hypertensive (diastolic blood pressure > or = 95 mm Hg) despite combined beta-blocker/diuretic therapy and with echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (left ventricular mass index > or = 1.31 g.m(-1)). They wer randomized to receive hydralazine slow release 50 mg/ chlorthalidone 12.5 mg) for 6 months. Casual blood pressure, non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), M-mode echocardiogram, plasma renin activity and plasma catecholamines were evaluated before the randomization and after 6 months of treatment. Both drugs significantly reduced casual as well as daytime systolic and diastolic blood pressure, without statistical differences between the two treatments. Lisinopril was significantly more effective than hydralazine in reducing night-time systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Plasma norepinephrine was significantly reduced by lisinopril and increased by hydralazine. Left ventricular mass was significantly reduced by lisinopril but not by hydralazine. The results of linear regression and multiple regression analysis suggested that the lisinopril-induced decrease in both day- and night-time blood pressure might account for the regression of left ventricular hypertrophy, whereas the lack of left ventricular hypertrophy regression during hydralazine treatment could be due mainly to the reflex sympathetic activation induced by the drug.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed1995

Effects of different antihypertensive drugs on plasma fibrinogen in hypertensive patients.

1. In order to evaluate whether treatment with different antihypertensive drugs would affect plasma fibrinogen levels, 118 mild to moderate essential hypertensive subjects, all males, aged 18 to 65 years, were randomly treated with amlodipine 10 mg, atenolol 100 mg, hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg or lisinopril 20 mg, all given once daily for 8 weeks. 2. Before and after 8 weeks' treatment, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), fibrinogen, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides (TG), plasma glucose, plasma uric acid, serum creatinine and serum potassium were evaluated. 3. All four medications significantly reduced BP values, although the BP lowering effect of lisinopril, amlodipine and atenolol was significantly greater compared with that of hydrochlorothiazide. 4. Plasma fibrinogen levels were unaffected by atenolol, hydrochlorothiazide and amlodipine, whereas they were significantly decreased by lisinopril (-11.2%, P = 0.002). This fibrinogen lowering effect was more evident in smokers (-17.7%) than in non smokers (-7.4%). 5. Atenolol and amlodipine did not significantly affect plasma lipids, hydrochlorothiazide increased TC, LDL-C and TG and reduced HDL-C; lisinopril increased HDL-C and decreased TC and LDL-C. 6. Hydrochlorothiazide increased plasma glucose and uric acid concentrations, which were unaffected by the other drugs. The diuretic also reduced serum potassium. 7. The results of this study indicate that lisinopril reduces levels of plasma fibrinogen and confirm that different antihypertensive drugs may elicit different metabolic effects, which may variously influence the overall risk profile of the hypertensive patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Comparative effects of ramipril and nitrendipine on albuminuria in hypertensive patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and impaired renal function.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of ramipril and nitrendipine on urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in hypertensive patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and impaired renal function. Forty patients with mild hypertension with NIDDM and persistent albuminuria (> 300 mg/24h) were studied. After a 3-week run-in period on placebo, patients were randomly treated with ramipril 5 mg once daily or nitrendipine 20 mg once daily for 6 months, according to a double-blind design. Blood pressure (BP), UAE, creatinine clearance and glycosilated haemoglobin were evaluated at the end of the placebo period and after 1,3 and 6 months of active treatment. Both ramipril and nitrendipine significantly lowered BP values without affecting glucose homeostasis and renal function. Despite equivalent BP control, only ramipril afforded a significant reduction in UAE, thus suggesting that the antiproteinuric effect of ramipril is at least partially independent of its anti-hypertensive effect.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Ketanserin effects on insulin sensitivity in nonobese, nondiabetic hypertensive patients: an evaluation by the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ketanserin on insulin resistance in nondiabetic hypertensive patients. Eleven nonobese, nondiabetic mild to moderate hypertensives (6 males, 5 females, aged 39-59 years), after a 4 week run-in period on placebo, were treated with ketanserin 40 mg twice daily for 12 weeks. Blood pressure (BP) (by standard mercury sphygmomanometer) and insulin sensitivity (by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique) were evaluated at the end of the placebo period and at the end of the treatment period. Ketanserin produced a significant decrease in BP (from 160 +/- 13/100 +/- 4 mmHg to 146 +/- 10/89 +/- 5 mmHg p < 0.01). The amounts of exogenous glucose required to hold glucose levels constant during clamp were not changed by ketanserin as compared to placebo 34.5 +/- 3.5 g vs 33.8 +/- 3.1 g). The rate of glucose infusion required during the last 60 minutes of the clamp, used as an indicator of insulin sensitivity, was not different before and after treatment (5.52 +/- 0.41 mg/min/ kg vs 5.21 +/- 0.39mg/min/kg). These results suggest that in nonobese, nondiabetic hypertensive patients ketanserin monotherapy is effective in reducing BP values without affecting insulin sensitivity.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Urinary albumin excretion and nocturnal blood pressure in hypertensive patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nocturnal blood pressure (BP) (by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ABPM) and urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in hypertensive patients with type II diabetes mellitus. We studied 179 essential hypertensives (WHO I-II), all males, with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Non-invasive ABPM was performed by a fully automatic, portable device (Spacelabs 90202), set to take readings at 15-min intervals during both day-time 7 AM to 1 PM and nighttime (1 PM to 7 AM). According to the day/night reduction in mean blood pressure (MBP), three groups were identified: group I, nocturnal MBP reduction > 10%; group II, day/night MBP reduction of 5% to 10%; and group III, day/night MBP reduction < 5%. The mean values of UAE as well as the prevalence of microalbuminuria (UAE > 30 mg/24 h) were found to be significantly higher in group III as compared to the other two groups. Besides, in group III UAE displayed a significant negative relationship with the SBP and MBP (but not DBP) nocturnal drop and a positive relationship with the duration of hypertension and duration of diabetes. In group II, UAE was weakly correlated only with the duration of hypertension, whereas in group I no significant correlation was found between UAE and other parameters of the study. These results indicate that in hypertensive type II diabetic patients a blunted nocturnal BP fall is associated with higher UAE and increased prevalence of microalbuminuria. Whether the reduced day/night BP difference is the cause of consequence of target organ damage remains to be established.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and antihypertensive treatment: focus on ACE inhibitors.

The use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in clinical studies offers some advantages in comparison to the clinic blood pressure measurement. In fact, this approach does not induce any alerting reaction and provides 24-h blood pressure values that are more reproducible and not affected by the placebo effect. This allows a better evaluation of blood pressure under antihypertensive treatment and an optimization of the number of patients to be studied in pharmacologic trials. In a recent double-blind, parallel-group study, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was used to investigate the antihypertensive efficacy of a new angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, trandolapril, in 62 mild and moderate hypertensive patients. After a washout period, patients received trandolapril, 2 mg o.d., or placebo for 6 weeks, followed by a second washout period. Clinic and 24-h blood pressures were assessed at the end of each period. In comparing the pre- and post-treatment period, trandolapril significantly reduced clinic and 24-h systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The fall was evident throughout the 24 h and was statistically significant also in the last 4 h of blood pressure monitoring. The placebo group did not show any significant blood pressure change. Thus, trandolapril, 2 mg once daily, is effective in reducing blood pressure. Its efficacy over 24 h is better documented by 24-h blood pressure monitoring than by isolated clinic blood pressure measurement.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

PubMed1994

Evaluation by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring of efficacy of benazepril 20 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg fixed combination as compared to captopril 50 mg [corrected] plus hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg fixed combination in treating mild to moderate hypertension: a double-blind, within-patient, placebo-controlled study.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-period cross-over, randomized study we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of benazepril 20 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg (BN + HCT) as compared with the fixed combination of captopril 50 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg (CP + HCT) by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Eighteen outpatients, 16 men and 2 women aged 41-58 years, were randomized to receive BN + HCT, CP + HCT, or placebo, all administered once daily for 4 weeks according to a three-period cross-over arranged in a 3 x 3 latin square design. Patients were checked after an initial 3-week washout period and every 4 weeks thereafter. At each visit, 24-h ABPM was performed by a noninvasive device (Spacelabs 5300); causal BP and heart rate (HR) were also measured. Both fixed combinations had a clear-cut antihypertensive effect in comparison with placebo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1994

Fibrinogen levels in normotensive and hypertensive men: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare plasma fibrinogen levels in hypertensive and normotensive men. Possible confounding factors, such as age, cholesterol levels, body-mass index and smoking habits were also to be considered. METHODS: We studied 708 men with essential hypertension (according to the World Health Organization's criteria) and 944 with normal blood pressures, all of whom had similar lifestyles; the overall age range was 18-60 years. The clinical evaluation included measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, body weight and height as well as a medical examination and personal habits history. After an overnight fast, blood samples were taken in order to measure fibrinogen and total-cholesterol levels. RESULTS: The mean fibrinogen level did not differ between the groups, although the distribution of the levels was different and was J-shaped in the hypertensive group. Plasma fibrinogen levels increased significantly with age in both groups. A significant positive correlation was found between fibrinogen and total-cholesterol levels, but not between fibrinogen and body-mass index or systolic or diastolic blood pressures. Cigarette smokers had significantly higher fibrinogen levels than non-smokers, irrespective of their blood pressure status; ex-smokers had intermediate values, suggesting a direct but reversible effect of tobacco. In cigarette smokers, fibrinogen levels increased with the number of cigarettes smoked, which is indicative of a dose-response relationship. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the strong association between fibrinogen levels and smoking and the weaker association with age and total-cholesterol levels. Mean fibrinogen level was not significantly related to blood pressure, although the distribution of fibrinogen levels appeared to be J-shaped in hypertensive men.

Adolescent↗