Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of combination treatment with antihypertensive drugs and antidepressant in patients with uncontrolled hypertension (UHTN) and depressive disorders (DD). Design and methods. The study involved 160 patients with UHTN and DD and prescribed a combination therapy including an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (perindopril 10 mg/day) and a thiazide-like diuretic (indapamide SR, 1,5 mg/day). Patients were randomized into 2 groups: 1st group recieved antihypertensive treatment with an antidepressant (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, escitalopram 10 mg/day); 2nd group received calcium channel blocker (CCBs, amlodipine 5–10 mg/day). At baseline and after 24 weeks all patients underwent clinical examination, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) (“Petr Telegin”, BPLab Vasotens, Russia) with 25‑minute intervals between the measurements during the day and 50‑minute intervals at night. We assessed the average 24‑hour, daytime and nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), variability of blood pressure (BP), hypertension time index, the size and speed of morning rise in BP, daily index, pulse pressure. In addition, we evaluated arterial stiffness: the propagation time of the reflected wave (RWTT, ms), the estimated PWV in the aorta (PWVao, m/s) adjusted to systolic BP 100 mm Hg and heart rate 60 beats/min (RWTT ms, PWVao m/s), augmentation index. We also assessed central aortic pressure: systolic aortic pressure, aortic diastolic pressure, mean pressure in the aorta, aortic augmentation index. All the patients filled in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Tsung depression scale, Spielberger’s scale of the anxiety, Wayne questionnaire and the SF‑36 questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life. Results. Combined antihypertensive therapy with escitalopram provided the target BP achievement in half of patients after 4 weeks, while in the control group an increase in the amlodipine dose to 10 mg per day was required to achieve target BP in 75.6 % of patients. After 24 weeks, group 1 showed better ABPM parameters compared to the control group. In addition, daily BP profile was normalized in a larger number of patients than in control group. Antidepressants led to a comparable to the calcium antagonist therapy regression of the indicators of arterial stiffness and the central aortic pressure. After 24 weeks, a positive change in DD was registered in the group treated with escitalopram, while in the group 2 depression indicators remained at a high level. The use of antidepressant resulted in a significant decrease in anxiety disorders and autonomic disturbances, whereas in patients treated with “traditional” antihypertensive therapy, an increase of anxiety level and baseline autonomic dysfunction remained unchanged. Also, the group of antidepressant showed greater improvement of the quality of life assessed by the SF‑36 questionnaire. Conclusions. The use of escitalopram in combination therapy provided a rapid achievement of target BP and more significant improvement in the main ABPM indicators, normalization of daily BP profile, a significant improvement in the emotional status and autonomic function, reduction of the depression and anxiety symptoms, improvement in quality of life compared to the treatment without antidepressant.

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of combination treatment with antihypertensive drugs and antidepressant in patients with uncontrolled hypertension (UHTN) and depressive disorders (DD). Design and methods. The study involved 160 patients with UHTN and DD and prescribed a combination therapy including an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (perindopril 10 mg/day) and a thiazide-like diuretic (indapamide SR, 1,5 mg/day). Patients were randomized into 2 groups: 1st group recieved antihypertensive treatment with an antidepressant (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, escitalopram 10 mg/day); 2nd group received calcium channel blocker (CCBs, amlodipine 5–10 mg/day). At baseline and after 24 weeks all patients underwent clinical examination, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) (“Petr Telegin”, BPLab Vasotens, Russia) with 25‑minute intervals between the measurements during the day and 50‑minute intervals at night. We assessed the average 24‑hour, daytime and nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), variability of blood pressure (BP), hypertension time index, the size and speed of morning rise in BP, daily index, pulse pressure. In addition, we evaluated arterial stiffness: the propagation time of the reflected wave (RWTT, ms), the estimated PWV in the aorta (PWVao, m/s) adjusted to systolic BP 100 mm Hg and heart rate 60 beats/min (RWTT ms, PWVao m/s), augmentation index. We also assessed central aortic pressure: systolic aortic pressure, aortic diastolic pressure, mean pressure in the aorta, aortic augmentation index. All the patients filled in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Tsung depression scale, Spielberger’s scale of the anxiety, Wayne questionnaire and the SF‑36 questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life. Results. Combined antihypertensive therapy with escitalopram provided the target BP achievement in half of patients after 4 weeks, while in the control group an increase in the amlodipine dose to 10 mg per day was required to achieve target BP in 75.6 % of patients. After 24 weeks, group 1 showed better ABPM parameters compared to the control group. In addition, daily BP profile was normalized in a larger number of patients than in control group. Antidepressants led to a comparable to the calcium antagonist therapy regression of the indicators of arterial stiffness and the central aortic pressure. After 24 weeks, a positive change in DD was registered in the group treated with escitalopram, while in the group 2 depression indicators remained at a high level. The use of antidepressant resulted in a significant decrease in anxiety disorders and autonomic disturbances, whereas in patients treated with “traditional” antihypertensive therapy, an increase of anxiety level and baseline autonomic dysfunction remained unchanged. Also, the group of antidepressant showed greater improvement of the quality of life assessed by the SF‑36 questionnaire. Conclusions. The use of escitalopram in combination therapy provided a rapid achievement of target BP and more significant improvement in the main ABPM indicators, normalization of daily BP profile, a significant improvement in the emotional status and autonomic function, reduction of the depression and anxiety symptoms, improvement in quality of life compared to the treatment without antidepressant.

Aim. To evaluate the influence of antihypertension therapy that includes antidepressants, on the main parameters of structural and functional condition of the left ventricle (LV) myocardium in patients with non- controlled arterial hypertension (NCAH) and depression-spectrum disorder (DD). Material and methods. Totally 160 patients included, with NCAH and DD, median age 58 (53-64) y.o., who were administered combination therapy that included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril 10 mg/day and diuretic indapamide SR 1,5 mg/day. The patients were randomized into 2 groups: to the 1st group we added escitalopram (Selectra, Abbott Laboratories) as antidepressant, 10 mg/ day; to the 2nd group — calcium channel antagonist (CA) amlodipine 5-10 mg/day. All patients at the baseline and in 6 months underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), echocardiography, DD diagnostics with the Tsung and HADS scores. Results. After 4 weeks of treatment the therapy that included antidepressant led to the decrease of BP to target levels in 52,6% of patients, in CA — in 24,4%, and in 24 weeks of treatment there was comparable number of target reached patients in both groups. Comparative analysis of cardioprotection action of combination antihypertension therapy showed that in the usage oif antidepressant, as in CA usage there was comparable regression of hypertrophy and diastolic function of LV myocardium. With the treatment, in the 1st group there was increase of patients with normal geometry of the LV by 54,7%, and in the 2nd group — by 52,4% (p<0,05). In the 1 and 2 groups we saw the increase of those with normalized diastolic LV function: to 68,8% and to 65,1%, respectively (p<0,05). Conclusion. Addition of escitalopram as part of combination therapy mediated a significant antihypertensive effect, a little overcoming the treatment with amlodipine addition. Usage of tetracomponent therapy in combination of HADS and DD led to significant and comparable regression of structural and functional changes of the LV myocardium, that can be utilized for optimization of arterial hypertension control in this category of patients.