Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the antialbuminuric and antihypertensive effects of aliskiren by monitoring home blood pressure (BP) in comparison with the effects of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan in patients with hypertensive nephrosclerosis and albuminuria.
Methods: We conducted an open-label, randomized trial to compare the effects of aliskiren with those of valsartan. Patients with BP <150/90 mmHg, an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 90-30 mL/min/1.73 m(2), and albuminuria >30 mg/g, despite treatment with a 160 mg daily dose of valsartan, were randomly assigned to the following two groups: the aliskiren group, who switched from 160 mg/day valsartan to 150 mg/day aliskiren, which was later increased to 300 mg/day (n = 20); and the valsartan group, who continued with 160 mg/day valsartan (n = 20).
Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, although there was no significant difference in clinic BP between groups, a significant reduction in morning and evening systolic BP was observed in the aliskiren group. The decrease in albuminuria in the aliskiren group was significantly better than that in the valsartan group, and a significant correlation was noted between the change in morning systolic BP and the change in albuminuria in the aliskiren group (r = 0.564, P = 0.0084).
Conclusion: We showed that aliskiren treatment leads to a greater reduction in albuminuria and home systolic BP values than valsartan in patients with nephrosclerosis. We propose that aliskiren therapy should be considered as a therapeutic modality to complement ARBs in hypertensive patients with nephrosclerosis.