Abstract
To determine the efficacy and tolerability of azilsartan 40 mg after switching from other renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, we examined the number of antihypertensive drugs taken and blood pressure before hemodialysis (HD) and over 48 hours by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Subjects were 9 HD patients who were receiving 5 antihypertensive drugs. Clinical data were collected from August 2012 to February 2013. The type and number of antihypertensive drugs were significantly decreased from 6.0±0.9 and 15.4±4.5 at baseline to 4.0±1.7 and 10.0±6.3 at the end of study (p<0.05), respectively. Blood pressure before HD showed no statistical difference at baseline versus end of study (136.9±20.8 mmHg versus 136.7±16.9 mmHg, p=0.90). Of 8 patients who underwent 48 hour ABPM, 3 showed improvement in the night - day blood pressure ratio while 5 showed no change, and none experienced deterioration. Day systolic blood pressure tendency decreased from 136.5±5.3 mmHg to 134.5±8.4 mmHg after administration of azilsartan. However, night systolic blood pressure significantly decreased from 138.5±4.0 mmHg to 132.8±6.6 mmHg after administration of azilsartan. Our study demonstrated that the type and number of antihypertensive drugs were significantly decreased and the night - day blood pressure ratio was improved after the switch to azilsartan.
