Effect of alacepril on 24-hour blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients

The effect of administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, alacepril, on 24-hour blood pressure in the elderly hypertensive patients was investigated. Thirteen elderly hypertensive patients (mean age 71 +/- 5; 6 male and 7 female) participated in the present study. After 2 weeks of control period alacepril was administered 25-50 mg/day for 8 weeks. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring with cuff-oscillometric method was performed at the end of both control and treatment periods. Alacepril administration for 8 weeks significantly decreased 24-hour blood pressure while it had little effect on heart rate. Daytime blood pressure was significantly decreased from 154 +/- 10/91 +/- 5 mmHg to 145 +/- 8/85 +/- 5 mmHg, while the change in nocturnal blood pressure was not significant: from 137 +/- 17/79 +/- 7 mmHg to 130 +/- 15/75 +/- 9 mmHg. Hyperbaric area of systolic blood pressure was also significantly decreased (from 295 +/- 185 mmHg x hour/day to 172 +/- 111 mmHg x hour/day), indicating that pressure load to the heart was effectively reduced. Administration of alacepril did not cause tachycardia in response to the decrease in blood pressure. Acrophase of both blood pressure and heart rate was changed to 11:00 a.m. These findings indicate that blockade of the renin-angiotensin system in the elderly hypertensive patients decreased blood pressure effectively without causing tachycardia or deterioration of diurnal variations of blood pressure. These hemodynamic changes produced by alacepril administration are favorable for the treatment of the elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.