[Comparative prospective randomized multicenter study of 2 dosage protocols of nitrendipine in patients with mild to...

134 patients with mild to moderate hypertension received nitrendipine during 6 months in an increasing fashion. Therapeutic goal was achieved in 92% of the patients (DBP less than 95 mmHg) in which BP decreased from 168.4 +/- 13.7/105.0 +/- 1.1 to 140.9 +/- 12.7/84.4 +/- 6.6 (p less than 0.001). In patients whose BP was not controlled with a single initial doses of 20 mg/day, the degree of control was similar with 40 mg single dose and 20 mg twice a day. The most frequently encountered undesirable effects were those caused by the vasodilator action of the drug. No changes in blood glucose and plasma lipid levels were found.