Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients with proved mild to moderate hypertension.
- Newly diagnosed "naïve" hypertensive patients (no prior treatment for hypertension)OR
- Patients who were receiving antihypertensive agents (maximum two - one of them is diuretic) and who in the investigator's opinion would benefit more from switching to the study medication. These patients will undergo a wash out period for not less than 7 days prior to enrollment.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Severe hypertension (Systolic Blood Pressure ≥ 180 mm Hg or Diastolic Blood Pressure ≥ 110 mm Hg).
- Patients with secondary hypertension (for another cause other than type 2 diabetes mellitus).
- Patients with HbA1c > 10%.
- Significant chronic renal impairment (Serum creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL).
- Significant liver disease as shown by SGPT/SGOT (ALAT/ASAT) > 2.5 times the upper limit of the normal range.
- Currently pregnant or lactating females.
- Women of childbearing potential not protected by effective contraceptive method of birth control and/or who are unwilling or unable to be tested for pregnancy.
- Any patient who is in need for a combination antihypertensive therapy from the start (from the medical point of view of his physician).
- Known hypersensitivity to irbesartan, other ARBs (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers), hydrochlorothiazide, or other thiazide diuretics.
- Patients with malignancy during the past 5 years, known collagen disease or severe cardiac, cerebrovascular or gastric disease.
The above information is not intended to contain all considerations relevant to a patient's potential participation in a clinical trial.
Purpose
