Objective: To determine whether blood pressure could be maintained for patients on lisinopril following conversion to a theorized, therapeutic dose of fosinopril. The tolerability of fosinopril was also assessed. Methods: Subjects receiving lisinopril were considered candidates for this prospective, observational study. Prescribing information for both lisinopril and fosinopril suggested a milligram-to-milligram equivalency. Patients taking lisinopril 10 mg/d were switched to fosinopril 10 mg/d. Blood pressures were compared at baseline and 2, 6, and 18 weeks after conversion. A goal blood pressure of <140/90 mm Hg was assigned to all patients at enrollment and used to determine goal attainment at baseline and 18 weeks. More aggressive blood pressure goals are currently recommended; thus, medical histories were reevaluated at the end of the study and new goals were assigned and assessed. Adverse effect occurrence was also compared between visits. Results: One hundred thirty-three subjects were enrolled. The mean dose of lisinopril prior to conversion was 15 ± 11 mg/d compared with the mean final fosinopril dose of 20 ± 14 mg/d. Both the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased significantly at the 18-week visit when compared with baseline (p = 0.00007 and p = 0.015, respectively). Using a goal blood pressure of <140/90 mm Hg, there was no difference detected between the baseline and the final assessment visit (p = 0.851). A greater number of subjects were unable to achieve goal status at 18 weeks when compared with baseline after applying the newly defined goals (p = 0.003). Sixteen of the original 133 subjects discontinued fosinopril due to adverse events. Conclusions: When converting subjects from lisinopril to fosinopril, equivalent blood pressure may be difficult to achieve without increasing the dose of fosinopril.
Newer and Aggressive Blood Pressure Goals to Treat Hypertension
