A study enrolled 16 patients of both sexes, aged 46-78 years, with essential hypertension to evaluate serum lipids, lipoproteins, plasma fibrinolytic parameters, renin and noradrenaline before and 3 months after cilnidipine treatment. Systolic and diastolic BPs and heart rate were reduced after cilnidipine treatment. Total cholesterol and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and t-PA-PAI-1 complex were also reduced. There was a negative correlation between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and t-PA antigen levels following cilnidipine treatment. Cilnidipine was thus found to be effective for the treatment of hypertension and did not cause reflex tachycardia in these patients. It also produced a beneficial lipid profile (decrease in total cholesterol). The findings were published in Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research.