Short-term safety and tolerability of antihypertensive agents in Korean patients: An observational study

Purpose - In order to assess the short-term safety and tolerability of newl y prescribed antihypertensive monotherapies in Korean patients, a prospecti ve study was carried out. Methods - A total of 1181 patients were observed from July 1997 to August 1 999. At 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks after initiation of antihypertensive monothera py, the patients were evaluated for whether treatment was to be continued a nd the development of any adverse reactions. Results - During the first 12 weeks, the percentage of subjects continuing with their initial angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) (40.7%) was substantially lower than that of subjects continuing with angiotensin I I receptor antagonists (ARA) (66.2%), alpha -blockers (63.0%), calcium chan nel blockers (CCB) (61.3%), beta -blockers (55.8%): and diuretics (53.5%), respectively (P < 0.01). The following adverse reactions were detected: cou gh (7.5%), headache (6.1%), dizziness (3.9%), flushing (3.7%) and impotence (2.4%). Cough, headache, and flushing were more frequent in women, and imp otence and loss of libido were more frequent in men (P < 0.05). The inciden ce of cough associated with ACEI (27.9%) was higher than that associated wi th the other classes of drugs (P < 0.01). Conclusions - The tolerability of antihypertensive medication was hi hest i n Korean patients treated with ARAs, followed by CCBs, <beta>-blockers, diu retics, alpha -blockers, and ACEIs. The incidences of adverse reactions wer e different by sex, age and drug class. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Son s, Ltd.