[Pharmacological characteristics and choice of antihypertensives]

Many antihypertensive drugs are available to treat patients with essential hypertension. Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH) recently published 'Guidelines for the management of Hypertension (JSH 2000)'. JSH 2000 chooses six drugs(calcium antagonist, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin II receptor antagonist, diuretic, beta-blocker, alpha-blocker) as first lines of antihypertensive treatment. These six drugs have different pharmacological characteristics and there are compelling indications for specific drugs in certain clinical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, organ damages, and elderly hypertensives etc. Usually a low dose of the initial drug choice should be used. The optimal formulation should provide 24-hour efficacy with a once-daily dose, because compliance is better and control of hypertension is persistent and smooth.