Abstract: Objective To evaluate the antihypertensive efficacy and safety of domestic valsartan in the treatment of mild to moderate essential hypertension. Methods Twenty-one hypertensive patients were treated with domestic valsartan 80 mg once daily for 8 weeks, dose was doubled at week 4 for patients with DBP≥90 mmHg(12.0 kPa). Twenty-four hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and laboratory test were performed before and after 8 weeks' treatment. Results At the end of 8 weeks, clinical blood pressure and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure decreased significantly as compared with baseline(P<0.01), the total effective rate was 66.7%, and no significant difference was observed with regard to heart rate. Reductions of clinic SBP/DBP, 24 h SBP/DBP and load of SBP/DBP from baseline were 16.95/11.52 mmHg(2.25/1.53 kPa), 11.37/9.89 mmHg(1.51/1.32 kPa) and 16.26/27.37 respectively. The trough to peak ratios for SBP and DBP were 65.15% and 67.87% respectively. Adverse reactions were mild. Conclusion Domestic valsartan 80～160 mg given once daily appears to be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of mild to moderate essential hypertension.

Key words: valsartan, hypertension, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring