Patients and methods Thirty control healthy individuals and 200 patients with uncomplicated, essential hypertension were enrolled and followed up for 3 months in a controlled randomized study. All subjects' health status was evaluated by a complete medical examination. All BP measurements were made with calibrated mercury manometers (Korotkoff I and V). Three separate measurements were taken at least 2 min apart and the average of these values was calculated. Subjects' height and weight were recorded in the fasting state with the subjects wearing only light clothes and without shoes and BMI was calculated using the equation (BMI = weight (kg)/height (m)2). Patients, of both sexes with mild to moderate essential hypertension (diastolic blood pressure \[DBP\] \>80 and ≤100 mmHg after a 2-week wash-out period, SBP systolic blood pressure\>120 and 160 mmHg). Patients were randomly assigned into two groups using a computer-generated random number: Group I treated with valsartan (160 mg/d, n = 100), Group II amlodipine (10 mg/d, n = 100). Another 30 healthy subjects are enrolled as control group (Group III). Subjects in group I and II were asked to maintain their usual dietary and physical activity habits throughout the study. Treatment tolerability was assessed at each follow-up visit.
