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Recent studies have suggested a differential influence of mean pressure and pulse pressure on myocardial infarction and stroke, and differences among the major drugs in their efficacy at preventing these individual endpoints. We hypothesized that antihypertensive drugs have differing influences upon the pulse wave even when their effects on blood pressure are the same. We studied 30 untreated hypertensive patients, aged 28—55 years, who were rotated through six 6-week periods of daily treatment with amlodipine 5mg, doxazosin 4mg, lisinopril 10mg, bisoprolol 5mg, bendrofluazide 2.5mg or placebo. The best drug was repeated at the end of the rotation. Blood pressure readings and radial pulse tonometry (by Sphygmocor^®) were performed at each visit, and blood was taken for measurement of levels of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). The Sphygmocor derivation of the central …