The Antihypertensive Response to Lisinopril: The Effect of Age in a Predominantly Black Population

After a 2–4 week no‐treatment period, 24 patients (12 young, age 29–45 yr.; 12 elderly, age 65–81 yr.; 20 black, 4 white) with an untreated sitting diastolic blood pressure between 91–120 mm Hg received the nonsulfhydryl angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, lisinopril for three weeks in a singleblind, parallel group comparison. Patients who did not achieve goal blood pressure with the initial low‐dose (10 mg/day) were treated with a high‐dose regimen (40 mg/day) for three weeks. In those who remained incompletely responsive, hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/day was added for four weeks in an attempt to normalize blood pressure (≤90 mm Hg). Low‐dose lisinopril monotherapy produced comparable reductions in the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures (approximately −15/−8 mm Hg in both younger and older patients). Increasing the dose produced a slightly greater fall in mean blood pressures which normalized the blood pressure in five of six elderly patients unresponsive to the lower dose; addition of hydrochlorothiazide normalized three of the five remaining subjects from both groups who were unresponsive to high dose lisinopril. Lisinopril administration resulted in a rise in plasma renin activity and a fall in plasma aldosterone concentrations which were similar in both groups and which returned over time toward the baseline. The drug was well tolerated, producing one episode of symptomatic hypotension following the addition of hydrochlorothiazide to lisinopril monotherapy. Lisinopril alone or in combination with hydrochlorothiazide produces favorable antihypertensive effects in both younger and older predominantly black, low‐renin patients with essential hypertension.