Hypertension Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hypertension, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Calcium channel blockers in the spectrum of antihypertensive agents.

Liebson PR

Rush University Medical Center, Rush Medical College, 1653 W. Congress Pkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. pliebson@rush.edu

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are widely used in the treatment of hypertension. Through blood pressure reduction, and possibly other mechanisms such as antioxidative effects, they may play a role in diminishing the risk for a variety of cardiovascular outcomes. The combination of CCBs with other newer antihypertensive agents such, as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, may provide complementary effects on risk reduction in cardiovascular adverse events and renal disease. Although the efficacy of CCBs as antihypertensive agents has been adequately demonstrated, there have been concerns regarding the use of short acting dihydropyridines after acute myocardial infarction. There have also been questions about the role of CCBs with regards to other antihypertensive agents in renal disease. For example, differential effects of dihydropyridine and non-dihydropyridine CCBs may affect progression of renal disease and risk for diabetes. Certain precautions involving drug interactions are needed because of the effects of CCBs on the CYP450 enzyme systems.

Published 19 November 2006 in Expert Opin Pharmacother, 7(17): 2385-401.
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