Efficacy of various antihypertensive agents according to age and initial arterial pressure

210 patients with mild-moderate high blood pressure have been studied. These patients were followed up for 4-6 weeks. Fifty patients were treated with 50 mg hydrochlorothiazide + 5 mg amiloride daily; 40 with 160 mg oxprenolol daily; 22 with 30-40 mg nifedipine daily; 38 with 240 mg verapamil daily and 60 with 50-100 mg captopril daily. We have observed: 1. All treatments have similar antihypertensive effectiveness. 2. Decrement in blood pressure was correlated with initial blood pressure in all treatments, directly. 3. This effectiveness was correlated positively with age in treatment with both diuretics and calcium-antagonists, and an inverse correlation with both beta-blockers and captopril. 4. It had no correlation between age and initial blood pressure in diuretic or beta-blocker treated groups. So diuretics shall be suggested in elderly patients and beta-blockers in younger patients. 5. The greater effectiveness of calcium-antagonists in the elderly should be explained because these patients have a higher initial blood pressure. 6. In this work there is an inverse correlation between age and initial blood pressure in the captopril-treated group; it should explain the greater effectiveness in younger persons. 7. Nothing opposes the use of calcium-antagonists or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor in all age groups.