Once-a-day treatment with sotalol and hydrochlorothiazide in patients with essential hypertension

Eighteen patients with mild to moderately severe hypertension were treated, after a run-in period of placebo for three weeks, with a combination of 160 mg sotalol and 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide for three months. Fifteen patients responded well and, after one month of treatment, had a sustained diastolic blood pressure of less than 100 mm Hg. Additional treatment reduced the blood pressure even further during the second month, with a significant fall in blood pressure after the first month of treatment. The degree of severity of the hypertension did not seem to have an effect on blood pressure response to treatment. Serum potassium values decreased significantly during treatment. They remained within the normal range, and no clinical symptoms of hypokalemia were observed. One patient developed hyperuricemia and had to be withdrawn from the study.