Treatment of essential hypertension with beta-blocker plus diuretic: a study of 1402 patients treated by general practitioners with acebutolol 200 mg combined with hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg ('Secadrex') once daily for 3 months.

One thousand four hundred and two patients with essential hypertension were treated by their general practitioners for 3 months with one tablet daily consisting of 200 mg acebutolol plus 12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide: 813 were newly diagnosed and 589 were known hypertensives already on treatment. There was no 'wash-out' period before the latter changed to the study treatment. Newly diagnosed hypertensives had an average initial mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 129.9 mm Hg which fell on average by 18.2% during the study: 79% of patients had good results with final MAP levels less than 113 mm Hg (equivalent to e.g., 160/90 mm Hg), and a further 7% also had good results in that MAP fell more than 15%, another 12.5% had moderate results (falls of 5% to 15%): and only 1.5% had poor results (fell less than 5%). Known hypertensives had an average MAP of 127 mm Hg on previous treatment, which fell on average by 15.4% during this study: 70% of patients had good results with final MAP levels less than 113 mm Hg and a further 7% also had good results in that MAP fell more than 15%: 18% had moderate results and 3% poor results. Pulse rate fell by 12.5% in newly diagnosed and 10% in known treated hypertensives. If allowance is made for withdrawals due to side-effects and to the need for more than one tablet of Secadrex daily, then over all 75.7% had a good blood pressure response to study medication, 13.7% a moderate response and 10.7% a poor response. Adverse effects caused the withdrawal of 4% of newly diagnosed and 5% of treated hypertensives, predominantly nausea/vomiting, lassitude/fatigue and malaise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)