Effects of selective angiotensin II receptor blockade on sympathetic nerve activity in primary hypertensive subjects.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Amlodipine in this randomized controlled trial publication.

The role of the renin-angiotensin system in the regulation of sympathetic nervous activity in human hypertension was evaluated in patients with moderate primary hypertension.

For that purpose, the effects of selective angiotensin II (ANG II) receptor blockade by valsartan on sympathetic outflow to the muscle vascular bed and hemodynamic parameters were examined.

Results were compared with the effects of the peripherally acting calcium antagonist amlodipine.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Treatment periods were separated by washout periods of 2 weeks.

At the seventh day of treatment, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), norepinephrine, renin and angiotensin were measured during resting conditions.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Amlodipine group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Amlodipine, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Amlodipine, giving a reference point.

Each person switched between Amlodipine and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

Additionally, parameters were measured after administration of negative pressure of -15 mmHg to the lower part of the body and after a cold pressor test.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Amlodipine, Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists, Antihypertensive Agents, Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Hemodynamics and Hypertension.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Amlodipine.

Results are reported in around 6 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2002 (Journal of hypertension), a journal based in Netherlands.

More context: all human trials.