Acute effects of an oral nitric oxide supplement on blood pressure, endothelial function, and vascular compliance in hypertensive patients.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Nitric Oxide Donors in the context of low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension.

This blinded placebo-controlled crossover study evaluated the acute effects of an orally disintegrating lozenge that generates nitric oxide (NO) in the oral cavity on blood pressure (BP) response, endothelial function, and vascular compliance in unmedicated hypertensive patients.

Average baseline BP in 30 patients was 144±3/91±1 mm Hg.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 30 patients were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Thirty patients with clinical hypertension were recruited and enrolled in a blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial in an outpatient setting.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Nitric Oxide Donors group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the patients nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Nitric Oxide Donors, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Nitric Oxide Donors group a baseline to be compared against.

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

What Was Measured

This blinded placebo-controlled crossover study evaluated the acute effects of an orally disintegrating lozenge that generates nitric oxide (NO) in the oral cavity on blood pressure (BP) response, endothelial function, and vascular compliance in unmedicated hypertensive patients.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Blood Pressure, Blood Pressure Determination, Carotid Arteries, Endothelium, Vascular, Hypertension, Nitric Oxide Donors and Ultrasonography.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Nitric Oxide Donors in 30 patients in people with low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2014 (Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.)), a journal based in United States.

More context: Low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension research.