Table 1.

Exclusion criteria

Uncontrolled hypertension (sitting systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg or sitting diastolic blood pressure >100 mmHg)

Presence of clinically significant asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abnormal lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1]/forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio <75%)

Treatment with ≥2 bronchodilators

Exercise limiting symptomatic angina

Haemodynamically significant cardiac valvular disease

Documented evidence of systolic heart failure (ejection fraction <40%, fractional shortening <25%)

Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation (>100 b.p.m. at rest)

History of myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or coronary artery bypass within the previous 3 months

Use of ARBs within the previous 1 month