Clinical and hemodynamic effects of etozolin in essential hypertension: A double-blind, controlled trial

Abstract

We evaluated systemic and central hemodynamics in 28 essential hypertensives (World Health Organization stage I-II) after a 30-day treatment regimen with either the new diuretic agent etozolin or with placebo, administered according to a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group design. At the beginning and at the end of the study, blood pressure and heart rate were measured and a first-pass radionuclide angiocardiography was performed to determine the cardiac index and ejection fraction of the left ventricle; systemic vascular resistances and total blood/plasma volumes were also calculated. In the placebo group no changes in blood pressure or hemodynamic and volume parameters were observed. Etozolin significantly reduced systolic (from 171 ± 11 mmHg to 150 ± 12 mmHg) and diastolic (from 102 ± 5 mmHg to 92 ± 9 mmHg) blood pressure and increased both cardiac index (from 3,548 ± 515 ml/min/m2 to 3,872 ± 473 ml/min/m2) and ejection fraction (from 64 ± 5% to 66 ± 3%). Vascular resistances (from 2,795 ± 592 dyn/sec/cm-5/m2 to 2,236 ± 487 dyn/sec/cm-5/m2) and blood/plasma volumes decreased (from 4,985 ± 396 ml to 4,531 ± 435 ml and from 2,653 ± 332 ml to 2,369 ± 368 ml, respectively). Plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone were not modified. Our results indicate that monotherapy with etozolin is effective in treating mild-to-moderate hypertension and causes clinically favorable hemodynamic changes.