USEFULNESS OF LOW-DOSE, ONCE-DAILY QUINAPRIL AS MONOTHERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION

A drug surveillance study was performed to determine the tolerance and safety of quinapril in the treatment of patients with stage 1 or 2 hy pertension. The trial was noncomparative, open-label, uncontrolled, an d nonrandomized. Patients with secondary hypertension, heart failure, other heart diseases, and other serious conditions were excluded. Afte r a washout period of 2 weeks, 752 patients (316 men and 436 women) wi th diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between 90 and 115 mm Hg and systoli c blood pressure (SEP) between 140 and 200 mm Hg were entered into the treatment phase. The mean age of patients (+/-SD) was 53.1 +/- 11.4 y ears. Patients initially received 10 mg/d quinapril for 4 weeks. For n onresponders, the dosage was titrated up to a maximum of 40 mg. Active treatment continued for 12 weeks. Initial blood pressures (mean +/- S D) were DBP, 102 +/- 6.1 mm Hg, and SEP, 163 +/- 14.4 mm Hg. Final blo od pressures were DBP, 83 +/- 6.5 mm Hg, and SEP, 135 +/- 11.6 mm Hg. The response rate for the therapeutic goal (DBP <90 mm Hg and SEP <140 mm Hg, or a reduction in SEP greater than or equal to 20 mm Hg) was 6 7.1%; 41 patients did not complete the study. The most common adverse events were cough, headache, and dizziness; only 10 patients (1.3%) fa iled to complete the study because of adverse events. Quinapril, as us ed in current private clinical practice, is well tolerated and effecti ve for the treatment of patients with stage 1 or 2 hypertension.