Effects of moduretic on plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels in hypertensive African patients.

Twenty patients with essential hypertension aged 39-70 years, underwent 20 weeks (short-term) and 30 weeks (long-term) lipid and lipoprotein assessment following moduretic (combination of hydrochlorothiazide and amloride) therapy. Moduretic caused adverse alterations in plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations at 20 weeks, characterized by increases in total cholesterol (TC) (9-23%), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (18-42%), Triglycerides (TG) (12-26%) and LDL-C/HDL-C (36-92%), as well as decreases in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (-14 to -26%) and HDL-C/TC (-23 to -39%). For 12 patients who were continued on the same therapy for the longer period of 30 weeks, the adverse effects were less pronounced when compared with the short-term effects. The increases in TC (9.6%), in LDL-C (21%), and in LDL-C/HDL-C (48%), and the decreases in the mean HDL-C (-20%), and in HDL-C/TC (-25%), were all significant. In contrast, the slight increase in TG noted during the long-term moduretic therapy was not significant. Our data suggest that moduretic therapy induces altered lipid-lipoprotein patterns in hypertensive patients. However, the possible influence of baseline cholesterol concentration and the duration of therapy, may be important factors in the lipid response to moduretic therapy.