American society of hypertension: 25th annual scientific meeting and exposition.

17.9 mm Hg. In patients with BMIs lower than 30 kg/m2, systolic BP was reduced by 30.6 mm Hg and diastolic BP was reduced by 20.6 mm Hg. The percentages of patients receiving combination therapy who achieved BP goals at the eighth week also tended to be greater if the BMI was below 30 kg/m2 (41%–55%) than if the BMI was higher (28%–52%). “Olmesartan should reduce the edema associated with amlodipine,” Dr. Bakris stated. Higher edema rates associated with amlodipine monotherapy (40.3% at 10 mg/day) were attenuated in the combination treatment groups (25.2%–28.8%). *** Dr. Oparil said that mean reductions in systolic and diastolic BP were significantly greater with amlodipine/olmesartan than with olmesartan alone in African-American patients, except in the case of systolic BP in those treated with amlo dipine 5 mg/day and olmesartan 10 mg/day. She emphasized that with amlodipine/olmesartan 10/40 mg/day, the magnitude of BP reductions in the African-American patients (–29 mm Hg/–16 mm Hg) approached that of the non–AfricanAmerican patients (–31 mm Hg and –20 mm Hg, respectively). For Hispanic/Latino patients, all combinations resulted in greater systolic and diastolic BP reductions than with mono therapy. In addition, reductions were similar among Hispanic/Latino patients and non–Hispanic/Latino subgroups. *** In the BENIFORCE trial (Benicar Efficacy: New Investi gative Findings show Olmesartan medoxomil safely and effectively Reduces blood pressure Compared with placEbo), 276 patients with stage 1 or 2 hypertension were randomly assigned to receive olmesartan 20 mg/day or placebo. This dose was then titrated upward at three-week intervals if patients did not reach a target of below 120/80 mm Hg according to the following schedule: olmesartan 40 mg/day (weeks 4 to 6), olmesartan plus hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 40/12.5 mg/day (weeks 7 to 9), and olmesartan/HCTZ 40/25 mg/day (weeks 10 to 12). Patients were maintained on their current medication doses as long as BP was controlled to target levels, stated Dr. Chrysant. The trial’s primary endpoint was the mean difference in BP reduction between the olmesartan-based regimen and placebo. Systolic BP was reduced by 22.1 mm Hg; diastolic BP was decreased by 12.2 mm Hg. In patients with stage I hypertension More than 2,000 blood pressure specialists attended the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) annual meeting in New Orleans from May 14 to 17, 2008. Among key presentations were two large trials on combination therapy and one trial featured in an ASH press briefing on an investigational agent targeting two receptors.