At optimal doses, individual
antihypertensive agents lower blood pressure (BP) by an average of 10 mmHg. Many patients with
hypertension, including those with stage 3
hypertension, target organ damage, or those at high risk for cardiovascular events and/or adverse effects of high-dose monotherapy, are likely to require combination
antihypertensive drug treatment to achieve the recommended systolic/diastolic BP (< 140/90 mmHg). Two studies, a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial (n = 70) and a community-based, open-label trial (n = 491) investigated the
antihypertensive efficacy of
doxazosin, a long-acting selective
alpha1-adrenoceptor blocker, as add-on
therapy for uncontrolled
hypertension with other
antihypertensive medications and in patients with concomitant
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and treated but inadequately controlled
hypertension, respectively. The addition of
doxazosin to baseline
antihypertensive medication(s) significantly lowered BP and had a significantly positive effect on the serum
lipid profile. In patients with concomitant BPH,
doxazosin significantly improved all BPH symptom scores, regardless of initial symptom severity. Add-on
doxazosin sufficiently reduced systolic/diastolic BP such that many patients whose
hypertension was previously uncontrolled by other
antihypertensive medications were able to reach goal BP (< 140/90 mmHg).
Doxazosin as add-on
therapy was well tolerated. In conclusion,
doxazosin as add-on
therapy improves BP control in hypertensive patients not at goal BP and improves
lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with concomitant BPH.