Why the study?
Does nicardipine reduce blood pressure and alter total body elemental composition compared to propranolol in patients with essential hypertension?
Does nicardipine reduce blood pressure and alter total body elemental composition compared to propranolol in patients with essential hypertension?
Nicardipine and propranolol are similarly effective in reducing blood pressure in essential hypertension without significantly altering total body elemental composition over 12 weeks.
Both drugs similarly reduce BP without altering elemental composition; confirms short-term equivalence and extends comparative metabolic safety data.
1 Nicardipine 30 mg three times daily was compared with sustained-release propranolol 160 mg once daily in a double-blind parallel trial of essential hypertension in general practice. 2 Both drugs caused similar sustained reduction of lying and standing systolic and diastolic pressures. 3 While propranolol significantly lowered heart rate, no changes were seen with nicardipine; nicardipine slightly but significantly increased QTc interval. 4 The overall side-effect burden was similar with the two drugs, although the pattern of events differed. 5 With neither agent were there significant changes, at the twelfth week of treatment, in the total body composition of sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium, phosphorus or nitrogen.
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Murray et al. (1986) studied this question.
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