[Amlodipine in long-term treatment of mild and moderate hypertension. A multicenter study]

An open, multicenter study was conducted to investigate the antihypertensive efficacy and safety of amlodipine in the long-term treatment of patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension of a period of 178 weeks (3.4 years).

92 of the 110 patients participating in the study received amlodipine treatment throughout the total study period, with 77 patients on amlodipine monotherapy (mean daily dose 6.3 mg), and 15 patients on combination antihypertensive therapy including amlodipine (mean daily dose 7.1 mg). After 8 weeks of treatment the diastolic target blood pressure of < or = 90 mmHg was achieved in 86 out of 92 patients (93.5%). The mean diastolic blood pressure reduction was retained throughout the treatment, both in patients receiving monotherapy and those on combination therapy. The incidence of adverse events was highest during the first 12 weeks of treatment (30.0%); after another 54 weeks it dropped to 18.1%, and to 7.3% during the last 112 weeks. The side effects reported most frequently were headaches and edema.

These results indicate that amlodipine effects sustained reduction in diastolic blood pressure over a period of more than 3 years in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.