Drug may lower blood pressure in hypertension sufferers, study suggests
27 Aug 2008

A drug which lowers uric acid levels has been linked with reduced blood pressure (BP) in youths with newly-diagnosed hypertension, according to a preliminary report published in the August 27th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study was carried out by staff at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, USA, who conducted a placebo-controlled crossover trial to examine whether lowering uric acid levels with the drug allopurinol would lower blood pressure in hyperuricemic adolescents with newly diagnosed hypertension.

A total of 30 participants were assigned a group to either receive the drug or a placebo twice daily for a month, followed by a two-week period where they took no treatment.

Following this, they received the other therapy they had not received previously for four more weeks, Eurekalert notes.

"The average decrease in casual BP during allopurinol treatment was -6.9 mm Hg for systolic and -5.1 mm Hg for diastolic BP; for placebo, the respective changes were -2.0 and -2.4. The average changes in 24-hour ambulatory BP during allopurinol were -6.3 mm Hg, systolic; -4.6, diastolic BP," the resource notes.

According to the researchers, the results of the study represent a potentially new therapeutic approach to lowering elevated blood pressure.

Login and visit the Hypertension Knowledge Centre

Print Article    Bookmark

• Hypertension at medical offices may not predict heart risks, says study 25/11/08
• Hypertension develops early in black men, study suggests 17/11/08
• Hypertension "a looming problem in Europe", study shows 12/11/08
• Study links hypertension in pregnancy to reduced testicular cancer risk 30/10/08
• Audio relaxation could help elderly people with hypertension, study suggests 18/09/08

• REVATIO 20 mg film-coated tablets - 49.42%
  Treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension classified as WHO functional class III, to improve exercise capacity. Efficacy has been shown in primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with connective tissue disease ...
  
  
• THELIN Film-coated Tablets - 49.42%
  Treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension classified as WHO functional class III, to improve exercise capacity. Efficacy has been shown in primary pulmonary hypertension and in pulmonary hypertension associated with connective tissue disease ...
  
  
• ACCUPRO Tablets - 48.68%
  Hypertension - For the treatment of all grades of essential hypertension. Accupro is effective as monotherapy or concomitantly with diuretics in patients with hypertension. Congestive Heart Failure - For the treatment of congestive heart failure when given concomitantly with a diuretic and/or ...
  
  
• APRESOLINE (hypertension) - 48.56%
  Apresoline Injection: Hypertensive emergencies Hypertensive emergencies especially those associated with pre-eclampsia and toxaemia of pregnancy, hypertension with renal complications. Apresoline: Adjunct to other antihypertensives in moderate to severe hypertension ...
  
  
• CARDURA Tablets - 48.07%
  Hypertension:Cardura is indicated for the treatment of hypertension and can be used as the sole agent to control blood pressure in the majority of patients. In patients inadequately controlled on single antihypertensive therapy, Cardura may be used in combination with a thiazide diuretic, beta ...
  
  
• BETOPTIC - 47.95%
  Betoptic and Betoptic Drops: Ocular hypertension, chronic open-angle glaucoma. Betopic Suspension Single Dose: Ocular hypertension, chronic open-angle glaucoma in patients who are hypersensitive to preservatives ...