EFFECTS OF RILMENIDINE (HYPERIUM) ON THE LIPID BALANCE OF HYPERLIPIDEMIC HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS - RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, DOUBLE-BLIND 8-WEEK STUDY IN PARALLEL GROUPS VERSUS CAPTOPRIL

Rilmenidine (dose of 1 mg once or twice a day) is the first oxazoline compound with antihypertensive properties. Its effects on lipid parame ters [total cholesterol, HDL and LDL fractions, triglycerides, apolipo protein A1 and B, lipoprotein (a)] were compared under double-blind co nditions and in parallel groups to those of captopril (50 to 100 mg pe r day, in 2 divided doses) over a period of 8 weeks, in 51 hyperlipida emic hypertensive patients [age: 56.3 +/- 1.5 years, systolic and dias tolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP): 165.1 +/- 2.0/99.1 +/- 0.6 mmHg, LDL c holesterol: 5.38 +/- 0.16 mmol/L]. No significant difference was demon strated between the groups on inclusion for any of the clinical parame ters (SEP, DBP, heart rate (HR)) and laboratory parameters, apart from apolipoprotein A(1), for which the mean value was higher in the rilme nidine group than in the captopril group (p <0.05). No difference betw een the groups was demonstrated during the 8 weeks of treatment for th e course of blood pressure: SBP and DBP decreased by 20.5 and 13.9 mmH g, respectively, in the rilmenidine group and by 21.3 and 13.1 mmHg in the captopril group (no significant difference: NS). HR decreased by 0.3 beats per minute (bpm) in the rilmenidine group and by 4.1 bpm in the captopril group (NS). No statistically significant difference in l ipid parameters was observed between the two groups. No clinically sig nificant variation in any of the lipid parameters was observed after 8 weeks of treatment with rilmenidine or captopril. These results confi rm the antihypertensive efficacy and neutrality of rilmenidine on lipi d metabolism over a period of 8 weeks. Rilmenidine therefore represent s a useful alternative in the first-line treatment of hypertension in hyperlipidaemic hypertensive patients.