Summary
We have carried out randomized 12-week multicentre study to compare the effects of prazosin and propranolol on blood pressure and serum lipids in 70 patients with essential hypertension after a 4 week minimum period of treatment with thiazide diuretics.
After 12 weeks treatment with prazosin (n=40, 1.5–12.0 mg per day) or propranolol (n=30, 30–120 mg per day) with diuretics there was a significant blood pressure reduction from 165.1/97.9 mmHg to 151.2/90.6 mmHg and from 167/96.5 mmHg to 153/91.9 mmHg, respectively.
In the 12th week a significant decrease was noted in triglyceride and in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL + VLDL-C), but no significant effects were seen in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in patients receiving prazosin. On the other hand, a significant decrease in lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) was seen in patients receiving propranolol. Twenty-six of 40 patients receiving prazosin were given an additional 12 weeks of treatment. Twenty-two of 30 patients initially treated with propranolol were switched from propranolol to prazosin after 13 weeks and given prazosin up to the 24th week. At 24 weeks, the blood pressure was 149/93.0 mmHg in the prazosin group and 155/89.2 mmHg in the group which switched from propranolol to prazosin. Triglyceride remained reduced in the prazosin group at the 24th week. In the group which switched from propranolol to prazosin, triglyceride decreased significantly over the next 12 weeks.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allain CC, Poon LS, Chan CSG, Richmond W, FU PC (1974) Enzymatic determination of total serum cholesterol. Clin Chem 20: 470–475
Ames RP, Hill P (1976) Increase in serum lipids during treatment of hypertension with chlorthalidone. Lancet 1: 721–723
Burstein M, Scholnick HR, Morfin R (1970) Rapid method for the isolation of lipoproteins from human serum by precipitation with polyanions. J Lipid Res 11: 583–595
Day JL, Simpson N, Metcalfe J, Page RL (1979) Metabolic consequences of atenolol and propranolol in treatment of essential hypertension. Br Med J 1: 77–80
Fletcher MJ (1968) A colorimetric method for estimating serum triglyceride. Clin Chim Acta 22: 393–397
Graham RM, Pettinger WA (1979) Prazosin. N Engl J Med 300: 232–236
Koshy MC, Mickley D, Bourgoignie J, Blaufox MD (1977) Physiologic evaluation of a new antihypertensive agent: Prazosin hydrochloride. Circulation 55: 533–537
Leren P, Foss PO, Helgeland A, Hjermann I, Holme I, Lund-Larsen PG (1980) Effect of propranolol and prazosin on blood lipids. The Oslo Study. Lancet 2: 4–6
Lowenstein J (1984) Effects of prazosin on serum lipids in patients with essential hypertension: A review of the findings presented at the satellite symposium on Coronary Heart Disease: Hypertension and Other Risk Factors, Milan. Am J Cardiol 53: 21A-23A
Meltzer VN, Goldberg AP, Tindira CA, Naumovich AD, Harger HR (1984) Effects of prazosin and propranolol on blood pressure and plasma lipids in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Am J Cardiol 53: 40A-45A
Nagasaki T, Akanuma Y (1976) A new colorimetric method for the determination of plasma lecithin cholesterol acetyltransferase activity. Jpn J Clim 4: 306–311
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goto, Y., Tanabe, T., Ogasawara, Y. et al. The effects of prazosin and propranolol in combination with thiazide diuretics on blood pressure and serum lipids: a multicentre study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 33, 339–344 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00637627
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00637627