Titration of HCTZ to 50 mg daily in individuals with stage 2 systolic hypertension pretreated with an angiotensin receptor blocker.

The authors studied the combination of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 50 mg/d plus olmesartan medoxomil (OM) 40 mg/d in stage 2 systolic hypertension during an extension phase of an open-label 12-week dose titration study. Subjects whose blood pressure remained above 120/80 mm Hg (n=105) on OM 40/HCTZ 25 mg/d subsequently received OM 40/HCTZ 50 mg/d for 4 weeks. Increasing HCTZ from 25 mg/d to 50 mg/d decreased systolic blood pressure by 3.6 mm Hg, increased BP control rates (<140/90 mm Hg) from 70.4% to 77.5%, and increased BP normalization rates (<120/80 mm Hg) from 15.4% to 27.8%. The combination was well tolerated. Compared with OM 40 mg/d monotherapy, neither dose of HCTZ affected serum potassium, but both increased serum glucose by about 5%. There was a dose-dependent increase in uric acid but no acute gout attacks. OM 40/HCTZ 50 mg/d is an effective strategy for managing stage 2 systolic hypertension.