Age-related antihypertensive and haemodynamic effects of verapamil SR: Clinical results and effects on atrial natriuretic peptide

The antihypertensive effect of the calcium-antagonist verapamil was investigated in two groups of patients, adult hypertensives (AH, <65 years of age) and elderly hypertensives (EH, > 65 years of age), who were treated with 240 mg p. o. sustained-release (SR) verapamil for 4 months. Arterial blood pressure was significantly reduced in both groups: the responders' rate was 65% in the AH group and 82% in the EG group. The heart rate was slightly but not significantly reduced. An improvement in cardiac haemodynamics was observed [cardiac index (CI), from 3.00 ± 0.51 to 3.25 ± 0.83 ml min^-1 m^-2 in AH and from 2.35 ± 1.08 to 3.04 ± 0.86 ml min^-1 m^-2 in EG]. We also evaluated the plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) before and after treatment; ANP levels increased significantly only in the EH group. No serious side effects occurred. In conclusion, verapamil SR provided effective and well-tolerated antihypertensive treatment in both adult and elderly patients.