Comparison of Propranolol and Hydrochlorothiazide for the Initial Treatment of Hypertension: I. Results of Short-Term Titration with Emphasis on Racial Differences in Response

Comparison of Propranolol and Hydrochlorothiazide for the Initial Treatment of Hypertension: I. Results of Short-Term Titration with Emphasis on Racial Differences in Response

Contributor(s):
Journal of the American Medical Association
Veterans Administration Cooperative Study Group on Antihypertensive Agents
Publication:
American Medical Association, [22/29 October 1982]
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Hypertension
Antihypertensive Agents
Hydrochlorothiazide
Propranolol
Genre(s):
Archival Materials
Articles
Abstract:
Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist (beta-blocker), was developed in the 1960s. By slowing the heart rate and pumping volume, it also lowers blood pressure, and so was used to control hypertension. By the late 1970s a few experts had suggested that propranolol, effective and well-tolerated by many patients, might replace thiazide diuretics as the first step in hypertension treatment. In this article Freis and his colleagues report on a clinical trial that compared the two drugs. They found that they worked equally well in white patients, but that the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide worked better in African-American patients. They recommended that treatment continue to be based on assessment of the individual patient, and that it include a consideration of medication costs; propranolol could cost more than 20 times as much for equivalent doses as hydrochlorothiazide.. NOTE: This was the best scan that could be obtained (photocopy is of poor quality).
Copyright:
The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
Extent:
8 pages
NLM Unique ID:
101584929X183 (See in Profiles in Science)
Profiles in Science ID:
XFBBLX
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101584929X183
Archival Collection:
The Edward D. Freis Papers (Profiles in Science)