Antihypertensive and metabolic effects of ketanserin in patients with hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study

The effects of ketanserin on blood pressure, glucose metabolism, and serum lipids were assessed in 20 patients with mild hypertension (World Health Organization classes I-II) and impaired glucose tolerance in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Ketanserin (40 mg BID) caused a significant decrease of both supine and standing blood pressure with respect to placebo treatment without affecting heart rate, body weight, serum lipids, fasting glucose, or hemoglobin Alc. In addition, ketanserin, with respect to placebo, caused a slight but significant improvement in the glucose incremental areas under the curve during an oral glucose tolerance test (ketanserin, 47.0 ± 3.4 mg/ml/min; placebo, 51.4 ± 3.8 mg/ml/min, P <0.01) without affecting insulin release. These findings indicate that the selective S₂ receptor antagonist ketanserin did not unfavorably influence lipid and glucose metabolism in patients with hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance; on the contrary, it may induce an improvement of glucose tolerance, perhaps increasing insulin sensitivity.