Treatment of isolated systolic hypertension with labetalol in the elderly

• Antihypertensive therapy with labetalol was evaluated in a prospective, randomized, multicenter, double-blind study of 133 elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension (standing systolic blood pressure [BP] ≥160 mm Hg; diastolic BP 95 mm Hg). Following a placebo-washout period, patients received either labetalol (n 70) or placebo (n = 63), which was titrated as necessary from 100 to 400 mg twice a day over a 6-week period. Once the BP was controlled (standing systolic BP ( Arch Intern Med. 1990;150:974-976)