Antihypertensive drugs: adverse reactions and metabolic effects in elderly patients

Symptomatic and metabolic side effects seen in the treatment of elderly hypertensive patients are an area of concern for physicians. Of the four drug classes used as Step 1 antihypertensive agents--diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and calcium-entry blocking agents--only diuretics have been studied as monotherapy for the elderly in placebo-controlled, long-term clinical trials. These studies have shown diuretics to be well tolerated in this patient population, producing only mild, infrequent side effects.