Double-blind comparison of ketanserin with placebo in patients with essential hypertension

Two double-blind multicenter trials were performed to compare the antihy pertensive action of ketanserin, at an oral dosage of 20 mg three times daily, with that of placebo over a period of four to six weeks. A subset of patients was treated in a crossover fashion for either four weeks (36 patients) or six weeks (24 patients).The patients had essential hypertension, with a diastolic blood pressure ≥ 95 mmHg measured in sitting position at the end of a placebo run-in period of at least one week.In a first trial, 78 of 82 patients completed the four-week study period, where the mean drop of the systolic/diastolic blood pressure was -14/-12 mmHg in the ketanserin group (n = 32) versus — 8/ — 5 mmHg in the placebo group (n=46). This difference is statistically significant (p = 0.05/p < 0.01). In 13 patients who after the initial ketanserin treatment were further treated with placebo in crossover for four weeks, the blood pressure rose slightly (+1/+3 mmHg). In the alternative group (n =23), the blood pressure...