Antihypertensive efficacy and safety of Candesartan/HCT 32/12.5 and 32/25 mg in comparison with Candesartan 32 mg

Exclusion Criteria

• - Involvement in the planning and conduct of the study (applies to both AstraZeneca staff, CRO staff or staff at the investigational centre)
• - Pregnant or lactating women, or women of childbearing potential not practising an adequate method of contraception eg, intrauterine device, oral contraception or progesterone implant and verified by a negative pregnancy test at Visit 1
• - Secondary or malignant hypertension
• - Sitting SBP of 180 mmHg or more
• - Patients who are treated with candesartan 16 mg in combination with a diuretic or with candesartan 32 mg with or without any additional antihypertensive treatment
• - Myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary bypass surgery or transient ischaemic attack within 6 months before enrolment
• - Angina pectoris requiring more treatment than short-acting nitrates
• - Chronic use of NSAIDs
• - Aortic or mitral valve stenosis
• - Cardiac failure requiring treatment
• - Cardiac arrhythmia requiring treatment
• - Gout
• - Renal artery stenosis or kidney transplantation
• - Intravascular volume depletion
• - Hypersensitivity to any component of the investigational products
• - Concomitant disease which may interfere with the assessment of the patient
• - Past or present alcohol or drug abuse, or any condition associated with poor
• compliance
• - Chronic liver disease or known liver enzyme values above three times the upper limit of the reference range for S-ASAT or S-ALAT
• - Concomitant or previous treatment with other investigational drugs within 20 days of enrolment
• - Previous enrolment in the present study
• - S-creatinine of 180 μmol/l or above for men and of 140 μmol/l or above for women
• - S-sodium or S-potassium outside the reference range
• - Less than 85% compliance with study medication during the run-in phase