Influence of octreotide (SMS 201-995) and insulin administration on the course of blood pressure after an oral glucose load in hypertensive elderly subjects.

Pretreatment with a somatostatin analogue, octreotide (SMS 201-995), prevents postprandial blood pressure reduction in the elderly. We hypothesized that this beneficial effect on blood pressure is caused by an octreotide-induced suppression of insulin secretion. We studied the effects of octreotide and insulin administration on the course of blood pressure after oral glucose loading in 10 healthy hypertensive old persons (mean age 73 +/- 3 years). Octreotide was given in a dose of 50 micrograms subcutaneously (sc) (time = -30 minutes). Insulin was given sc in a dose of 0.3 U/kg body weight (time = -10 minutes) and glucose was given orally in a dose of 75 g in 300 mL water (time = 0 minutes). Plasma insulin concentrations remained essentially unchanged after placebo and rose to a maximum level of 58 +/- 6 mU/L following insulin administration. The course of blood pressure was not different following glucose loading with high or low plasma insulin levels. These data indicate that the effects of octreotide on postprandial blood pressure reduction in the elderly are unrelated to the inhibition of insulin secretion.