Systemic cardiovascular effects during chronic treatment with topical minoxidil 
vs placebo were evaluated using a double-blind, randomized design for two 
parallel groups (n = 20 for minoxidil, n = 15 for placebo). During 6 months of 
follow-up, blood pressure did not change, whereas minoxidil increased heart rate 
by 3-5 beats min-1. Compared with placebo, topical minoxidil caused significant 
increases in LV end-diastolic volume, in cardiac output (by 0.751 min-1) and in 
LV mass (by 5 g m-2). We conclude that in healthy subjects short-term use of 
topical minoxidil is likely not to be detrimental. However, safety needs to be 
established regarding ischaemic symptoms in patients with coronary artery 
disease as well as for the possible development of LV hypertrophy in healthy 
subjects during years of therapy.