The aim of the study was to evaluate an antihypertensive effect of AT1-receptor blocker telmisartan on the rest and exercise blood pressure (BP) in patients suffering from mild and moderate arterial hypertension. Twenty males (mean age 50.9 +/- 6.9) following a 3-week placebo run-in phase were treated by telmisartan 80 mg q.d. Bicycle exercise test and echocardiography was performed at the end of placebo run-in phase and following 12 weeks of treatment. The workload on the bicycle exercise test has been increased by 25 watts every 2 min and stopped at systolic BP (SDP) 240 or diastolic BP (DBP) 130 mmHg. The maximal workload was the same, prior and after 12 weeks of the treatment. Antihypertensive therapy with telmisartan had a favorable effect, i.e. significantly decreased the rest BP--both SBP (152.5 +/- 11.4 mmHg vs. 139.2 +/- 12.3 mmHg, p < 0.001) and DBP (100.0 +/- 4.6 mmHg vs. 88.7 +/- 6.2 mmHg, p < 0.001). There were no significant changes in the heart rate (HR) at rest prior and after telmisartan treatment (71.4 +/- 9.1 b/min vs. 72.2 +/- 10.4 b/min). When repeating the exercise test after 12 weeks of telmisartan treatment we detected the significant decrease of BP at maximal workload, i.e. SBP decreased from 230.9 +/- 11.4 mmHg to 211.3 +/- 12.7 mmHg, p < 0.05 and DBP decreased from 124.6 +/- 7.5 mmHg to 109.7 +/- 9.7 mmHg, p < 0.05. There was a significant decrease in HR (140.6 +/- 13.2 b/min vs. 130.1 +/- 14.2 b/min, p < 0.05) and significant increase in JT interval at maximal workload after telmisartan treatment (0.193 +/- 0.014 sec vs. 0.201 +/- 0.014 sec, p < 0.05). Telmisartan decreased the double product at rest and maximal workload (diff. of 16 x 10(2) mmHg x b/min and 48 mmHg x 10(2) b/min, respectively, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Twelve weeks of the telmisartan treatment showed a significant decrease of blood pressure at rest and exercise with no effect on the heart rate at rest in patients with mild and moderate arterial hypertension. There was statistically significant decrease in HR at maximal workload after the treatment by telmisartan.