A multicentre study of twice daily acebutolol ('Sectral') in the treatment of hypertension in general practice.

An open multicentre study was carried out under uncontrolled conditions in general practice to investigate the efficacy and acceptability of twice daily acebutolol in patients with mild to severe hypertension. Data from 1007 patients were analyzed. Most (901) had been treated previously with other hypertensive agents before starting on acebutolol. Oral dosages of acebutolol ranged from 200 mg to 1200 mg/day, according to individual requirements, and 331 patients received concomitant therapy, usually with a diuretic, either from the start of therapy or after 4 to 8 weeks. A significant reduction (p less than 0.001) was observed in mean diastolic blood pressure over the 12-week assessment period, and response increased with treatment duration. There were 280 reports of side-effects and 63 patients were withdrawn from the study for this reason.