A comparison of Indapamide SR 1.5 mg with Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg, in combination with an ACE-inhibitor, in patients with hypertension and diabetes The AISHA study.

Objective: To compare the antihypertensive efficacy and the metabolic effects, as well as the influence on cardiac and arterial function of indapamide SR 1.5 mg with hjdrochlorothiazide 25 mg, both in combination with quinapril. Materials and methods: A minimum number of 50 hypertensive and diabetic patients will be enrolled into the study,for a period of 6 months. They will be randomized either to indapamide slow release 1.5 mg/day, or to hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/day. Quinapril will be added from the beginning of the study,for a better control of their blood pressure. The dosage of quinapril will be titrated from 10, up to 40 mg/day, as needed for each patient. Apart from clinical and laboratory routine tests, the patients will undergo more specific examinations, such as: ambulatory blood pressure monitoring,for quantifying the antihypertensive effect of the two investigational drugs; conventional and tissue Doppler echiocardiography,for cardiac function evaluation; vascular ultrasound examination,for assessing endothelial function and arterial stiffiness. This study will provide more comparative data between indapamide and hydrochlorothiazide, in combination with quinapril, concerning not only on their antihiypertensive effect and safety, bitt also their influence on cardiac and vascular function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]