Implications of doxazosin therapy on risk of coronary heart disease

Abstract

Antihypertensive treatment is known to reduce mortality in severe hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity in mild and moderately severe hypertension, for example, from stroke and left ventricular failure. However, treated hypertensive patients still have significantly higher mortality and morbidity than matched control subjects. In particular, risk of coronary heart disease is affected little by antihypertensive treatment. There may be several explanations for these less than optimal results. For example, blood pressure may not have been brought down to strictly normotensive levels or an antihypertensive agent, which adversely affects serum lipoproteins, may have been used, thereby offsetting the intended therapeutic effect. Doxazosin, a new selective alpha 1-inhibitor, offers both effective antihypertensive action and a favorable lipid effect. Both of these effects could have a positive impact on risk of coronary heart disease and therefore may prove to be more effective than previously used antihypertensive treatments.