Effect of eprosartan on pulse pressure and blood pressure components in patients with isolated systolic hypertension.

Background: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) are accurate predictors of cardiovascular events in the elderly population. In these patients, isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Study design: A multicentre, observational, prospective study, evaluated the effects of 16 weeks of eprosartan treatment on PP and other blood pressure (BP) parameters. Data from a subgroup of patients from this study, who had ISH, are presented here.

Results: Eprosartan monotherapy reduced SBP, PP and mean blood pressure (MBP) over the duration of treatment, whereas diastolic blood pressure (DBP) remained unchanged. There was no difference in the reductions of these parameters between eprosartan monotherapy and combination therapy. In addition, a high proportion of patients responded to eprosartan therapy. The response to eprosartan therapy was significantly influenced by family history of early cardiovascular disease, but not by gender, body mass index (BMI), raised low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, smoking, left ventricular hypertrophy, or previous history of cardiovascular disease. Patients aged > or =70 years had a decreased reduction in DBP and MBP components. Eprosartan therapy was well tolerated, with only 1% of patients reporting an adverse event.

Conclusions: Eprosartan is an effective and well-tolerated antihypertensive therapy for elderly patients with ISH.