Beneficial cardiometabolic actions of telmisartan plus amlodipine therapy in elderly patients with poorly controlled hypertension.
BACKGROUND
There is a growing body of evidence that blood pressure (BP) level is one of the major determinants of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in individuals, including elderly people. However, to achieve a target BP level in the elderly is more difficult compared with patients aged <65 years. Current guidelines recommend combination drug therapy with different modes of action for the treatment of elderly patients with moderate hypertension (HT). However, the optimal combination regimen is not well established in elderly HT.


HYPOTHESIS
We hypothesized that combination therapy of telmisartan plus amlodipine would exert favorable cardiometabolic actions in elderly HT.


METHODS
Seventeen elderly patients with essential HT who failed to achieve a target home BP level with treatment of 5 mg amlodipine plus 80 mg valsartan or 8 mg candesartan for at least 2 months were enrolled. Then the patients were assigned to replace their valsartan or candesartan with 40 mg telmisartan. The subjects were instructed to measure their own BP at home every day during the study periods.


RESULTS
Replacement of valsartan or candesartan by telmisartan in amlodipine-treated elderly hypertensive patients showed a significant reduction in morning home systolic BP and evening home systolic and diastolic BP at 12 weeks. Switching to telmisartan significantly increased serum adiponectin level.


CONCLUSIONS
Our present study suggests that combination therapy with telmisartan plus amlodipine may exert more beneficial cardiometabolic effects in elderly patients with HT compared with valsartan or candesartan plus amlodipine treatment.