LARGE PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF RAMIPRIL IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION

The results of controlled trials demonstrate that ramipril lowers bloo d pressure in hypertensive patients, has a long duration of action sui table for once-daily administration in most patients, and is well tole rated. To assess the efficacy and safety of ramipril in a large cross- section of patients, we conducted a multicenter, open-label, prospecti ve study, in which 591 men or women with essential hypertension (diast olic blood pressure greater-than-or-equal-to 95 and less-than-or-equal -to 114 mmHg) received ramipril on a regimen of 1.25 to 10 mg once dai ly for 8 weeks. Forty-one percent of the patients required 2.5 mg and 81 % required less-than-or-equal-to 5 mg once daily at study completio n. Compared with baseline, ramipril reduced mean systolic/diastolic bl ood pressure by 19.9/14.7 mmHg (P<0.001/P<0.001). Ramipril reduced dia stolic blood pressure to less-than-or-equal-to 90 mmHg or by at least 10 mmHg in 84.1 % of the patients. Response rates were similar regardl ess of age, gender, and race. No patient stopped ramipril because of a n adverse event or experienced an unexpected adverse event. In our rea l-world study, low-dose ramipril given once daily controlled blood pre ssure in most patients and was well tolerated.