The advantages of capotene chronotherapy of patients with essential hypertension in an outpatient setting

Aim. To compare the efficiency of a short course of preventive chronotherapy and traditional therapy with capoten in an outpatient setting. Material and methods. Forty-two patients with stage II essential hypertension were divided into 2 groups: 20 controls were treated with capoten in a dose of 12.5-50 mg 3 times a day, and 22 received capoten once a day in the same single dose 1.5-2 h before arterial pressure (AP) acrophase. Central hemodynamics was studied by echocardiography, regional hemodynamics by rheoencephalography before and at the end of therapy. Results. In the control group AP normalized after capoten therapy in 3 patients, decreased by at least 10% but did not normalize in 9, and did not change in 8 patients. The results in the chronotherapy group were as follows: AP normalized in 5, decreased by at least,e 15% in 13, and did not change in 4 patients. Normalization of daily profiles of hemodynamic values and more favorable shifts in the cerebral bloodflow were more often seen in patients who received chronotherapy. Conclusion. Capoten chronotherapy of patients with essential hypertension, carried out in an outpatient setting, is obviously preferable to traditional treatment: no side effects were observed and a better hypotensive effect was attained with lower total dose.