Effects of Adding Pentoxifylline to Captopril on Primary Hypertension: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Because of the key role blood viscosity plays in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) and the hemorheological effects of pentoxifylline (PTX), this study was conducted to evaluate whether PTX can reduce BP when added to captopril in patients with stage 1 hypertension. In this randomized clinical trial 62 patients with stage 1 hypertension were entered. The intervention group (n = 30) received 1200 mg PTX in 3 divided doses plus 25 mg captopril 3 times a day, whereas the control group (n = 32) received only 75 mg captopril in 3 divided doses. Measurements of BP were done at baseline and in the first and second months after entering the study. Major adverse cardiac events during this period were recorded. When the systolic BP levels in the intervention and the control groups were compared, no significant differences at baseline (150.4 +/- 6.03 versus 150.4 +/- 6.2, P = .98) or first (138.4 +/- 9.4 versus 142.3 +/- 5.6, P = .08) or second (134.6 +/- 8.9 versus 137.4 +/- 6.0, P = .20) month of the study were noted. Similarly no significant difference was observed in the diastolic BP at baseline (91.7 +/- 3.9 versus 92.0 +/- 3.7, P = .84) or first (85.5 +/- 5.1 versus 86.9 +/- 3.8, P = .27) or second (82.6 +/- 5.7 versus 84.0 +/- 3.5, P = .31) month. Based on the results of present study, adding PTX as a hemorheological agent to captopril could not significantly reduce blood pressure in the patients with stage 1 hypertension.