Antihypertensive Efficacy and Safety of Candesartan/HCT 32/12.5 and 32/25 mg in Comparison With Candesartan 32 mg

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients will be eligible for enrolment into the study (Visit 1) if they fulfil all of the following criteria: * Provision of signed Informed Consent * Primary hypertension, untreated or treated with a maximum of 2 antihypertensive drugs, which the patient and the physician are willing to withdraw at enrolment and change to candesartan monotherapy * Mean sitting DBP 90-114 mmHg * Patients will be eligible for randomisation (Visit 4) if they fulfil the following criterion: * Mean sitting DBP 90-114 mmHg on treatment with candesartan 32 mg monotherapy (after 2 weeks with candesartan 16 mg and 6 weeks with candesartan 32 mg monotherapy). The run-in period should not be shorter than 8 weeks. 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