[Antihypertensive effect of nitrendipine, nifedipine and acebutolol and their combination on resting and exercise blood pressure in hypertensive patients].

The efficacy of nifedipine (40 mg, long-acting preparation), nitrendipine (20 mg) and acebutolol (400 mg) in reducing blood pressure at rest and during exercise was assessed in 35 hypertensive patients using a crossover study with 4-week treatment periods. In 20 patients the antihypertensive effect of the combination of nifedipine and acebutolol was also investigated. Both calcium antagonists nitrendipine and nifedipine and the beta-receptor blocker acebutolol resulted in a significant (p less than 0.001) and almost identical reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure at rest. This was also true for diastolic blood pressure during and after work. Both calcium antagonists also revealed a significant (p less than 0.01-p less than 0.001) reduction in systolic exercise blood pressure, however, this effect was more pronounced with acebutolol. The additional application of nifedipine significantly enhanced the antihypertensive effect of acebutolol under resting conditions (p less than 0.05), and particularly during (p less than 0.01) and after (p less than 0.001) exercise. No adverse reactions to the monotherapy or to the nifedipine and acebutolol combination were found, in particular no effect on PQ interval or on serum lipids. It is concluded that nifedipine and nitrendipine and their combination with betablockers appear to offer an alternative therapeutic approach in the management of arterial hypertension.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes