Long-term captopril treatment in elderly hypertensive patients

A long-term study on the efficacy of captopril treatment was carried out in elderly hypertensive patients. The study population constituted 200 hospitalized patients aged 65 years or older. Captopril was administered alone (50 mg or 100 mg daily) and in a fixed combination with hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg) or nifedipine (40 mg). There was a one-year follow-up. The data show that captopril was effective in reducing systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure in 65% of patients (59% with 50 mg captopril daily and 6% with 100 mg daily). In the patients who did not respond to antihypertensive monotherapy, good blood pressure control was obtained by adding hydrochlorothiazide (in 7% of patients) or nifedipine (in 15%). Captopril was generally well tolerated; minor side effects were observed in 18% of patients. In conclusion, our results indicate that converting enzyme inhibitors may be effective and safe in the treatment of hypertension in the elderly