Fixed-dose telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide in comparison with losartan/hydrochlorothiazide in decreasing serum...

Combined treatment with an angiotensin II receptor blocker and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) is advocated to control hypertension (HT). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) may be a new marker to evaluate endothelial dysfunction (ED), which is a potential target in treating HT. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of Telmisartan/HCT with Losartan/HCT on serum HGF and ED in hypertensive patients. Hypertensive patients were randomly divided into a Telmisartan/HCT (group T) or Losartan/HCT group (group L) and received one tablet of either drug per day for 8 weeks. Serum HGF, nitric oxide (NO), plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF), and endothelin (ET) were measured before treatment and after 8 weeks of treatment. Twenty healthy subjects were selected as controls (control group). HGF, vWF, ET, and the ET/NO ratio were higher, and NO was lower in hypertensive patients than those in the control group (all P < 0.01). After treatment for 8 weeks, HGF, vWF and ET decreased, and NO increased significantly in both groups (all P < 0.01). The reductions in BP and HGF and increase in NO (DeltaNO) were not significantly different between the two groups (all P > 0.05), but the reductions in vWF and ET (DeltaET) and DeltaET/DeltaNO ratio were more obvious in group T than in group L (all P < 0.01). There was no significant correlation between the changes in most of the measured parameters and the extent of BP reduction in either group. Both Telmisartan/HCT and Losartan/HCT could decrease serum HGF and improve ED, which was independent of the antihypertensive effects. However, the improvement in ED may be superior with Telmisartan/HCT than Losartan/HCT when the BP-lowering effects are the same.