Title: Responses of blood pressure and of heart rate to the first dose of two calcium antagonists
Abstract: The responses of BP and of radial pulse rate (HR) to the first dose of 4 mg lacidipine (L) and of 30 mg nifedipine GITS (N) were assessed as part of the Latin American Study of Lacidipine in Hypertension. Patients with sitting diastolic BP (D) of 100-115 mmHg at the end of a 4-week placebo run-in were randomly assigned to open treatment with L or with N. The first dose was taken at experimental hour (EH) 0. S: systolic BP.L, which is absorbed more rapidly than N, decreased BP quicker and caused an earlier reflex increase in HR than N. In a similar study, HR was found to increase by 15-18 b.p.m. 60 min after intake of 10 mg of classic nifedipine (Hernández R, et al. Arch Ven Farmacol 1985;2:315-322). (See Table) L group: n = 119; N group: n = 127. Comparisons with EH 0 (ANOVA for repeated measurements and Dunnett's test): P < 0.01. P values: a < 0.05; b < 0.01; c < 0.001; −: > 0.05. L group: n = 119; N group: n = 127. Comparisons with EH 0 (ANOVA for repeated measurements and Dunnett's test): P < 0.01. P values: a < 0.05; b < 0.01; c < 0.001; −: > 0.05.