LONG-TERM SYSTEMIC TOLERABILITY OF VALSARTAN COMPARED WITH LISINOPRILIN ELDERLY HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

This study examines the long-term tolerability of valsartan and lisino pril in elderly patients with essential hypertension. Sixty-nine patie nts who had participated in a 1-year core trial and were taking valsar tan 80 mg or lisinopril 20 mg in combination with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) entered this 1-year, double-blind, randomized extension; 48 pat ients received valsartan 80 mg and 21 patients received lisinopril 20 mg together with HCTZ 12.5 or 25 mg. Essentially a safety trial, the p rimary tolerability criterion was any adverse experience, with particu lar attention to cough and orthostatic hypotension. Although of second ary importance, responder rates, successful treatment rates, and chang es in mean sitting diastolic and systolic blood pressures were also ev aluated. Results demonstrate the continued tolerability and efficacy o f valsartan during extended antihypertensive therapy in the elderly. M ore patients in the lisinopril group (24%) than in the valsartan group (4%) discontinued because of adverse experiences. Twelve patients (25 %) given valsartan and 7 (33%) receiving lisinopril reported treatment -related adverse experiences, all either mild or moderate. The type an d frequency of adverse experiences during the extension phase were sim ilar to those during the core trial. Blood pressure control achieved d uring the first year was preserved during the extension.