Comparison of the combination of enalapril and a very low dose of hydrochlorothiazide with atenolol in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension

The blood pressure lowering effect and tolerability of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril combined with a very low dose of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) were compared with the selective betareceptor blocker atenolol in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. Three hundred seventy-four patients were randomized into a triple-blind, parallel, active-controlled 12-week study period comparing enalapril/HCTZ (20/6 mg) with atenolol (50 mg) after a 4-week placebo baseline period. Blood pressure (BP), clinical and laboratory safety, and metabolic laboratory variables were assessed. Enalapril/HCTZ as well as atenolol reduced both sitting and standing diastolic and systolic BP (P < . 001), but enalapril/HCTZ had a more pronounced effect than atenolol on sitting systolic BP (P = . 019); there was a trend toward more patients achieving target diastolic BP (<90 mm Hg, P = .053). No clinically important differences in safety and tolerability were observed. (C) 1997 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.