A double-blind, dose-response study of losartan in hypertensive children

Background The aim of this study was to determine the dose-response relationship for losartan, 2.5 to 100 mg, and to assess the safety and tolerability of losartan in hypertensive children 6 to 16 years of age. Methods This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, dose-response study. In Period 1, a total of 175 patients were stratified by weight ( Results In Period 1, sitting trough diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased in a dose-dependent manner ( P P = .003) relative to DBP in patients who remained on active treatment; however, these levels remained stable in those patients who switched from low-dose losartan to placebo (mean increase 1.1 mm Hg, P = .628). Conclusions In hypertensive children 6 to 16 years of age, losartan given once daily reduced blood pressure in a dose-dependent fashion. A once-daily starting dose of losartan, 0.75 mg/kg (maximum 50 mg) effectively lowered DBP within 3 weeks. Losartan up to a dosage of 1.44 mg/kg (maximum 100 mg) once daily is generally well tolerated.