Amlodipine vs nitrendipine in treating aged patients with hypertensive disease

AIM: To compare between amlodipine and nitrendipine in treating aged patients with hypertensive disease. METHODS: In a randomized single-blind and parallel study ,41 patients (M29,F 12: age62.7±s 1.0a)received amlodipine 5-10 mg,po,qm,for 4 wk; 21 patients (M14,F 7: age62.2±s 1.3 a)received nitrendipine 10-20 mg,po,q 12h for 4 wk. RESULTS: The clinical total effective rate of amlodipine group was 93%, similar to the nitrendipine group 86%(P0.05); there were the remarkable reduction in blood glucose and triglycerides in amlodipine group. Adverse effects of amlodipine group were fewer than those of nitrendipine group(15% vs 21%, P0.01). CONCLUSION: Amlodipine is superior to nitrendipine in treating hypertensive disease in aged patients.