Hypertension plays a major role in the development of cardiovascular disease. Several guidelines require strict control of blood pressure for preventing cardiovascular events; however, the control is often poor.~A new angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), azilsartan, is the first drug which is superior to other ARBs in blood pressure lowering in phase III clinical trials in Japan. We try to evaluate effect of azilsartan on blood pressure lowering in Japanese patients with hypertension who have already taken normal-dose ARBs, and to compare it with that of valsartan.
The purpose of this study is to compare blood pressure lowering effect of azilsartan with that of valsartan in Japanese patients with hypertension who have already taken normal-dose angiotensin II receptor blockers.