The effect of Telmisartan versus Cilnidipine on memory and psychomotor
functions in patients with essential hypertension - An open label,
randomized, parallel comparative study
Abstract
Introduction: Hypertension is a global public health issue. Data on the
effect of Anti- hypertensive drugs on dementia, Alzheimer’s disease,
cognitive impairment is limited and inconclusive. Material and Methods:
It was a Prospective, randomized, open label, comparative study. Total
60 hypertensive Patients were randomized to receive either Telmisartan
or Cilnidipine. Memory functions were evaluated with PGI Memory Scale,
while psychomotor functions were evaluated with Six Letter Cancellation
test (SLCT) and Digit Letter Substitution test (DLST) and card sorting
test (CST). Student t-test was used to compare the means of test scores
between and within the groups. Statistical significance was considered
at P<0.05. Results: An improvement was observed in scores of
memory in both the groups which was not significant. A significant
improvement (p < 0.05) was shown in 3 of 10 subtests of memory
in Telmisartan group compared to Cilnidipine. Both the drugs showed
significant improvement in psychomotor function tests
(P<0.05). SLCT score was 40.33 ± 1.58 (CI 38.8 - 42) in
Cilnidipine group and 38.80 ± 1.56 (CI 37.2 - 40.4) in Telmisartan
group. Cilnidipine showed significant improvement in SLCT and DLST
scores compared to Telmisartan. Both the study drugs decreased BP
significantly (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Both Telmisartan and
Cilnidipine showed no change in memory and significant improvement in
psychomotor functions in newly diagnosed Stage - I essential
hypertension patients. But Telmisartan showed more improving trends in
memory than Cilnidipine. Cilnidipine significantly improved psychomotor
functions compared to Telmisartan. Further randomized controlled studies
are needed to establish these effects.