Placebo-Controlled Trial of Doxazosin in Management of Patients with Hypertension and Hypercholesterolaemia

The blood pressure (BP)- and lipid-lowering activities of the alpha 1-antagonist, doxazosin, were investigated in hypertensive, hypercholesterolaemic patients. Thirty-one patients satisfactorily completed the study, and there was no significant difference between doxazosin and placebo in terms of reported adverse events. After 3-month treatment, BP was significantly reduced by doxazosin by 24/14 mm Hg supine and by 33/22 mm Hg erect as compared with corresponding reductions of 2/9 and 2/2 mm Hg with placebo. There were concomitant improvements in the plasma lipid profile with, in particular, significant net reductions of 30% for triglycerides and 20% for apoprotein B. There was no adverse effect on glucose metabolism. The principal aim of this study was assessment of the clinical utility and acceptability of doxazosin in a heterogeneous population of patients with several cardiovascular risk factors. The results confirm that doxazosin is an effective antihypertensive agent that has modest additional beneficial effects on the plasma lipid profile.