Long-term treatment of essential hypertension with Nadolol and Hydrochlorothiazide: a two-year follow-up.

After 3 weeks of placebo administration, thirty-two mildly or moderately hypertensive patients were treated with hydrochlorothiazide (HCZ) for 3 weeks, then with HCZ plus nadolol, a new beta-adrenergic blocker, for 2 years. The dose of HCZ was 50 mg once daily for all except two patients, who received 50 mg twice a day. The dose of nadolol ranged from 40 mg to 240 mg, once daily. The average supine blood pressure decreased from 182/110 mm Hg at the end of the placebo period to 170/104 mm Hg at the end of treatment with HCZ alone. Nadolol was added to the regimen, and the average supine blood pressure decreased further to 132/88 mm Hg at the end of 3 months of combined therapy. It remained essentially unchanged for the duration of the 2-year study, and no increases in the dosage of either drug were needed. Side-effects were mild, and none required a change in dosage. A once-daily dose of nadolol combined with HCZ appears to be safe and effective therapy for the long-term treatment of mild or moderate essential hypertension.

Control of essential hypertension with captopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.

1 Captopril, an orally active angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, was compared with hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in the treatment of mild and moderate essential hypertension. 2 Twenty outpatients received no antihypertensive therapy for 2 weeks, after which they were given placebo for 8 weeks. Since their diastolic blood pressure remained above 100 mm Hg, they were then randomized to receive either captopril (twelve patients) or HCT (eight patients) for a 4-week titration period. If the supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) was normalized, (less than or equal to 90 mm Hg) by the end of titration period, the established regimen was continued for an 8-week maintenance period; if not, the alternate drug was added in increasing doses for up to 4 weeks and the combined therapy was maintained for the remaining 4 weeks. 3 After the first 4 weeks of therapy, both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Normalization of SDBP occurred in 75% of patients treated with captopril alone, and the addition of HCT produced normalization in the remainder. HCT alone resulted in normalization of SDBP in 50% of patients and the blood pressure of the remaining patients was normalized after the addition of captopril. 4 Captopril given orally, either alone or in conjunction with HCT, is an effective agent for the control of mild and moderate essential hypertension. 5 In our series the main side effects encountered were vertigo and dizziness, transient eosinophilia, a rise of BUN and or/a rise of SGPT or SGOT.

Nadolol and propranolol in the treatment of hypertension: a double-blind comparison.

Nadolol and propranolol were compared in seventy-five hypertensive patients in a double-blind randomized study conducted at Ain-Shams Hospital. After an initial wash-out period of 5 weeks, including 3 weeks of placebo administration, forty-five patients were given nadolol once daily and thirty patients received propranolol four times per day for 12 weeks, followed by a tapering-off period of 2 weeks. Both beta-blocking agents were effective in controlling hypertension with final daily doses ranging from 80 to 320 mg. Of statistical significance, however, were the better responses of supine systolic blood pressure elicited by nadolol. The only adverse reactions that occurred in this series were slight weight gains in two patients treated with nadolol and moderate dizziness in one patient treated with propranolol. Nadolol was proved to be a safe antihypertensive drug, at least comparable to propranolol in efficacy, with the advantages of a once-daily dose and a lack of direct depressant action on the heart.

Long-term treatment of essential hypertension using nadolol and hydrochlorothiazide combined.

1 The stepped care approach for the treatment of hypertension was adopted in a study at Ain Shams Hospital using hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and a new beta-blocker, nadolol. Sixty mild to moderately hypertensive patients were studied for 20 weeks (2 weeks no antihypertendive the therapy, 3 weeks placebo, 3 weeks HCT, 4 weeks nadolol + HCT dose titration and 8 weeks nadolol + HCT maintenance). The dose of HCT was 50 mg once daily throughout the study except for six patients who had their HCT dose increased to 100 mg daily during maintenance. The dose of nadolol ranged from 40-240 mg daily. 2 No patient on HCT monotherapy achieved full control of his supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP less than 90 mm Hg). On combined therapy, 55 patients (91.7%) showed a full response, whereas the remaining five patients a good or adequate response. 3 Thirty-two of these patients agreed to continue in the study for a further 21 months (totalling 2 yr of therapy). To date, 15 of them have completed a total of 10 months, 7 have completed 11 months and 10 have completed 12 months. The delta percentage decrease in supine BP continued to be 28.0 and 19.5 for systolic and diastolic BPs respectively. 4 No significant changes in funduscopies, chest X-rays, ECGs, or full laboratory investigations were noted. A few side-effects of mild nature occurred. None necessitated discontinuation of therapy. 5 Combined therapy with nadolol and HCT is a safe and effective method of controlling hypertension over extended periods.