Efficacy and safety of guanadrel in elderly hypertensive patients

Hypertension is common in the elderly and is associated with higher morbidity and mortality, which may be decreased by effective blood pressure control. Many antihypertensive drugs, however, are not well tolerated by the aged. We treated 21 patients (ten men and 11 women) between ages 65 and 84 years (mean, 73.6 years) with guanadrel sulfate. All patients had received prior antihypertensive therapy, which either was ineffective or caused undesirable side effects. Average follow-up time was 17 months. Mean systolic pressure on enrollment was 188 +/- 17 mm Hg and mean diastolic pressure was 100 +/- 10 mm Hg. After treatment, the mean systolic pressure was 139 +/- 15 mm Hg and mean diastolic pressure was 82 +/- 8 mm Hg. Dosage varied from 5 to 30 mg/d with a mean of 16 mg/d. The only significant side effects were fatigue, dizziness, and dyspnea reported in four patients. Eleven patients took the medication as monotherapy and ten received diuretics or diuretics and beta-blockers as additional therapy. Our conclusion is that guanadrel is an effective, well-tolerated medication for treatment of hypertension in the elderly.