Blood pressure response of eplerenone according to baseline characteristics

Abstract

The heterogeneity of the hypertensive population has a direct bearing on optimal hypertension management. Certain drug classes are noted to be more or less effective in patients with particular profiles1. Thus, new agents require evaluation in a variety of patient profiles to ascertain their potential widespread usefulness. This analysis evaluates the blood pressure response of eplerenone (EPL), the first selective aldosterone blocker, according to the following characteristics: age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI), diabetes status, and aldosterone/active renin ratio. Demographic data from 2 controlled trials comparing EPL 50 to 100 mg administered once or twice daily to placebo (PBO) in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension were summarized to evaluate differences in blood pressure response. Sub-groups analyzed are depicted below: There were no significant interactions in change in BP between treat-ment and baseline demographic characteristics. In conclusion, the antihypertensive efficacy of eplerenone was demonstrated regardless of age, gender, race, BMI, diabetes status, or baseline aldosterone/renin ratio, mak-ing this agent an attractive treatment option for many different hypertensive patient profiles (see Table). 1JNC VI. Arch Intern Med 1997;157:2413–46. Mean Blood Pressure Reduction by Demographic Group Mean Blood Pressure Reduction by Demographic Group