Three Years of Experience with Bisoprolol in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Hypertension

Long-term efficacy and safety of the beta1-selective adrenoceptor-blocking agent bisoprolol was investigated in 164 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension who had already been treated successfully with bisoprolol once daily for 1 year in preceding studies. The good therapeutic effect of bisoprolol was maintained for another 1 or 2 years. There was no need for further dose adaptations, and the patients remained on their individually titrated dose. At the end of the third year, 22.6% of the patients required 5 mg or less, 63.7% needed 10 mg, and 13.7% of the patients required 20 mg. Four patients received a diuretic in addition to maintain a reasonable blood pressure reduction. Thirty-four of the 164 patients experienced adverse events, which necessitated a premature study withdrawal only in 2 cases. The repeatedly checked laboratory parameters did not adversely change under long-term treatment with bisoprolol up to 36 months. In particular, this also holds true for total cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose.