EFFECTS OF PRAVASTATIN ON CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY TO NOREPINEPHRINEAND ANGIOTENSIN-II PATIENTS WITH HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AND SYSTEMIC HYPERTENSION

This study was conducted to examine the effects of short-term choleste rol reduction on cardiovascular reactivity in mildly hypertensive pati ents, Seven male and 7 female patients, aged 34 to 68 years, received pravastatin (40 mg/day) or matched placebo for 3 weeks in a randomized , double-blind, crossover study. Cardiovascular reactivity was assesse d by measurement of blood pressure (BP) responses to incremental infus ions of angiotensin II and norepinephrine, by cold presser testing and isometric exercise, Compared with placebo, pravastatin caused signifi cant reductions in plasma total and low-density lipoprotein cholestero l levels, which averaged 20% and 31%, respectively (both p <0.0001), a nd in diastolic BP responses (expressed as tile infusion rate required to raise BP by 20 mm Hg) to both angiotensin II (7.3 +/- 3.0 vs 9.7 /- 4.7 ng/kg/min, p = 0.05) and norepinephrine (0.15 +/- 0.13 vs 0.38 +/- 0.33 mu g/kg/min, p = 0.03). Systolic BP responses were similar wi th both treatments. Body weight, resting BP, and maximal BP responses to physical stressors were similar with each treatment.