A study on the efficacy and safety of losartan in elderly patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.

Despite progress in the detection and treatment of hypertension the percentage of patients with controlled hypertension has failed to increase. The problem of poor blood pressure control is even more serious in elderly hypertensives than in the rest of the population. The antihypertensive drugs of the AIIRA (non-peptide angiotension II receptor antagonist) class are drugs whose use and experience are increasing and whose properties make them particularly useful in the elderly. We tried to assess the efficacy of treatment with losartan, the first AIIRA drug in a cohort of elderly patients with essential hypertension and to assess the percentage of patients achieving optimum BP control and to evaluate its safety, tolerability and metabolic effects. The intervention proved to be highly effective, achieving the anticipated blood pressure levels in the elderly in 77% of subjects after a 16-week follow-up, with very good tolerability. Renal function remained unchanged, as did the subjects' lipid profile.