Comparative antihypertensive effects of ketanserin and a ketanserin-hydrochlorothiazide combination administered once...

The effects of monotherapy with once-daily ketanserin (40 mg) were compared to those of ketanserin (40 mg) plus hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg) once daily in 21 patients with mild essential hypertension. After a placebo run-in period of 4 weeks, medication was randomly allocated. The study was double-blind and the double-dummy technique was used. The measurements of blood pressure during the 3-month treatment period showed a tendency for progressive decreases of the variable. Supine and erect blood pressure mean values were significantly reduced, between pretreatment and the end of week 12, by 17 and 12 mm Hg with ketanserin therapy and by 19 and 16 mm Hg with combination treatment, respectively. A mathematical model used for studying the evolution of erect diastolic blood pressure over time revealed that the combination lowered blood pressure at a higher rate than did ketanserin alone in the first week of treatment, but that thereafter the velocity of change was higher for ketanserin alone. Both treatments had equally effective antihypertensive effects after 12 weeks, although differences existed in the time courses of blood pressure changes. More prolonged studies are required in order to distinguish further between the medications used.