Alpha-blocker therapy of hypertension. An unfulfilled promise
A. F. Khoury and N. M. Kaplan
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-8899.
For various reasons, the alpha 1-receptor blocker prazosin has been used
infrequently as initial therapy for hypertension. The introduction of
additional agents of this class with properties different from prazosin
provides slower onset of action, which should reduce the degree of
first-dose and postural hypotension and a longer duration of action, which
allows for once-a-day dosage. A summary of the published data on efficacy,
side effects, and special properties of this class of agents indicates that
they will probably be used more extensively, particularly because of their
ability to improve lipid and glucose-insulin metabolism.
