Evaluation of the efficacy of prazosin versus propranolol as initial antihypertensive therapy.

The long-term effects of prazosin and propranolol therapy were compared over the course of one year in 93 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. Thirty-four of the 44 patients randomly assigned to receive prazosin therapy and 38 of the 49 patients assigned to propranolol therapy received monotherapy for one year, whereas the remaining patients received concomitant hydrochlorothiazide therapy. Blood pressure was significantly decreased (p less than 0.01) in all treatment groups throughout the study compared with baseline measurements. The blood pressure responses to treatment were not shown to differ among patients with low, normal, or high renin levels on entry. No significant differences from baseline were noted among treatment groups with regard to lipid profiles. In summary, prazosin and propranolol were shown to have comparable long-term blood pressure-lowering effects when given as monotherapy in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension.