Quantification of leg oedema in postmenopausal hypertensive patients treated with lercanidipine or amlodipine.

Objective: Of the study was to compare the leg oedema-forming potential of two different dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers in postmenopausal women.

Design: A total of 92 postmenopausal hypertensive patients [systolic blood pressure (SBP) 150-179 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 95-109 mmHg were randomized to receive a 4-week treatment with either 10 mg/day lercanidipine (n = 48) or 5 mg/day amlodipine (n = 44), with force-titration to 20 and 10 mg/day, respectively for an additional 4 weeks.

Methods: Leg volume was measured by water displacement volumetry, patients were questioned for symptoms and a physical examination was performed to detect the presence of oedema.