Antihypertensive efficacy and acceptability of perindopril in elderly hypertensive patients

The antihypertensive efficacy and acceptability of perindopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, was evaluated in 2,927 elderly (> or = 70 years) hypertensive patients in general practice, as part of an open 6-month trial conducted on a total of 23,460 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. Patients were ambulatory and selected if diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was between 94 and 115 mm Hg and no serious illness or ACE inhibitor intolerance was known. Perindopril was started at 2 or 4 mg once daily and, if supine DBP remained > 90 mm Hg, the daily dose could be doubled after 1 or 3 months (or a diuretic added if perindopril titration reached 8 mg). At entry, the 2,927 patients (65% females) were on average 74 years old, body weight was 68.2 kg, duration of hypertension was 9.4 years, and prior antihypertensive treatment was present in 78%. Percentage of normal DBP (< or = 90 mm Hg) was 69% at 1 month, 86% at 3 months (in patients on perindopril alone), and 94% at 6 months. At 6 months the reduction of systolic blood pressure and DBP was 28 and 16.6 mm Hg, respectively. Of the 2,927 patients at entry, 8.6% dropped out during the trial, including 6.1% due to side effects. Cough was the most common symptom (8.9%) leading to withdrawal in 3.4% of cases. In one patient, serum creatinine increased (3-fold at 1 month), but overall no significant variation of renal function occurred, as shown by stable plasma creatinine and potassium levels.