The exclusion criteria were secondary hypertension, severe hypertension (SBP ≥ 180 mmHg or DBP ≥ 105 mmHg), hypertrophic cardiomyopathies due to etiologies other than hypertension, history of heart failure or a LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 50%, history of angina, stroke, transient ischemic cerebral attack, coronary artery bypass surgery or myocardial infarction any time prior to visit 1, concurrent known symptomatic arrhythmia, liver dysfunction (AST or ALT values exceeding 2-fold the upper limit), creatinine >1.5 mg/dl, known hypersensitivity to the study drugs. This evidence concerns the gene GPT and hypertensive disorder.