Clinical effectiveness and tolerance of ramipril in the treatment of essential arterial hypertension level 1 and 2: results of a multicentric study

One hundred eighty eight hyoertensive patients, aged 21 to 80 years old, coming from 4 Chilean hospitals were studied. Using an open non controlled design, they were treated with placebo for two weeks and with the active drug during eight weeks, in initial doses of 2.5 mg/day that were adjusted to 5 mg/day in diastolic blood pressure did not drop below 90 mm Hg or if its reduction was less than 10 mm Hg. During the active drug treatment period, systolic blood pressure decreased from 164.8ñ7.2 to 147.3ñ4.8 mm Hg. Diastolic blood pressure dropped from 102.3ñ3.1 to 87.8ñ3.0 mm Hg. Seventy percent of patients achieved a diastolic blood pressure of less than 90 mm Hg, 56.9 percent with 2.5 mg/day and 13.8 percent with 5 mg/day. Dizziness, cough and headache were the main adverse reactions, observed in 3.7, 3.2 and 2.1 percent of patients respectively. Adherence to treatment was 98 percent. There were no changes in laboratory values during the treatment period. Ramipril is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of essential hypertension