[Treatment of dyslipidemia of the elderly with simvastatin and pravastatin. Effectiveness and tolerance]. / Trattamento delle dislipidemie dell'anziano con sinvastatina e pravastatina. Efficacia e tollerabilità.

After reviewing the literature concerning the advisability and efficacy of dyslipidemia treatment in old age, the authors present their experience with the use of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors. Twenty-five patients were treated with simvastatin and 20 with pravastatin. Already after one month of therapy, both drugs had induced a reduction of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as an increase of HDL-cholesterol. These changes were found to be even more marked after three months of treatment. Altogether, tolerability of both drugs was good. However, recurrent episodes of nose bleeding were observed in two patients with normal blood clotting activity.

[Metabolic tolerance of isradipine. Evaluation after three months of therapy]. / Tollerabilità metabolica dell'isradipina. Valutazione dopo tre mesi di terapia.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate efficacy on blood pressure values and metabolic tolerability of Isradipine, which was given to 15 mild hypertensive non diabetic subjects (average age 63.8 +/- 10.9 years), at the dosage of 5 mg once a day. Plasma lipids concentrations and oral glucose tolerance test (OGGT) with plasma insulin assay were carrid out before, after one and three months of therapy. The statistical analysis was done using the Student's t test for paired data. Isradipine showed a good efficacy on lowering high blood pressure. In no patients the drug induced impaired glucose tolerance. Isradipine had contrasting, but not statistically significant effects on lipid concentrations, namely, decrease of triglycerides, increased of any form of cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL), apoproteins and lipoprotein(a).

[The assessment of glucose tolerance in hypertensive subjects treated with amlodipine]. / Valutazione della tolleranza glucidica in soggetti ipertesi trattati con amlodipina.

The authors studied the side effects of amlodipine on glucose metabolism, carrying out an oral glucose tolerance test before and after 8-10 days of treatment, in a group of subjects with normal glucose tolerance. No significant variation in the average plasma glucose and insulin levels was observed. Nevertheless, in some cases, during amlodipine therapy, a decrease in glucose plasma level was found.

Role of prolactin in pregnancy hypertension.

In 51 patients with pregnancy hypertension (H) and 51 normotensive gravid women (N), matched for age of gestation, plasma prolactin was measured at 8.30 am (PRL1) and 9.30 am (PRL2) in basal conditions and after 10 minutes of upright posture (PRL3). While in N there was a fall from PRL1 to PRL2 which was nonsignificant, in H there was a significant fall from PRL1 to PRL2. With upright posture there was a further decrease in prolactin in N and a significant increase in H. With multiple regression analysis, systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not show any independent relations with PRL1, PRL2 and PRL3, while serum proteins and proteinuria showed a significant relation with PRL1, as did serum proteins, serum potassium and serum urate with PRL2 and serum urate with PRL3. As has been suggested in primary hypertension, a certain increase in peripheral sympathetic tone, dependent on a decreased central dopaminergic activity, may be present in patients who develop pregnancy hypertension compared to normotensive pregnant controls and may be involved in the pathogenesis of pregnancy hypertension.