Nifedipine in combination therapy for chronic hypertension. A review

Calcium channel antagonism and beta blockade in combination--a therapeutic alternative in cardiovascular disorders. A review

Calcium-channel antagonists and beta-adrenergic blocking agents have become important modalities in the cardiovascular therapeutic armamentarium. These drugs are often administered as monotherapy to a wide range of cardiological patients with angina pectoris, hypertension, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and other diseases. Since within each class these drugs exhibit pharmacologic differences, it follows that their effectiveness varies in different disease states and that they exhibit a wide variety of side effects. In an attempt to optimize therapy, the individual drugs from these two classes can be combined; and the efficaciousness and side-effect profile of various combinations between calcium-channel antagonists and beta blockers are discussed in this review. Recommendations as to which patients may benefit from a combination and as to which patients may be harmed by the combination therapy will be made. Very few studies have compared the safety and efficacy of a single agent with the combination and with placebo in a controlled randomized fashion. To determine which therapy is superior and to determine which combination one should recommend under what circumstances, such placebo-controlled, randomized trials are a necessity, and will hopefully be performed although the complexity is enormous.

Calcium antagonists in hypertension

The calcium antagonists are effective and safe agents for the treatment of arterial hypertension. They are well tolerated by the patients. In contrast to other types of antihypertensive agents, they cause few metabolic disturbances. They can be combined with diuretics, beta-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. They can be safely prescribed to patients with hypertension and concomitant diseases such as diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive lung disease, congestive heart failure, gout, renal failure, peripheral atherosclerotic disease, or Raynaud's phenomenon. Dietary sodium restriction during antihypertensive therapy with calcium antagonists is not required for optimal antihypertensive efficacy. The second generation of calcium antagonists especially the dihydropyridine analogues that have greater potency and vascular selectivity, and a longer duration of action, will optimize the treatment of hypertension. Their antiatherosclerotic, antiplatelet, and "antitrophic" effects in experimental models for atherogenesis and hypertension hold great promise for the future since, so far, there has been no major success in reducing the incidence of coronary death by the treatment of hypertension.

The efficacy and tolerability of atenolol, nifedipine, and their combination in the management of hypertension

In this randomized, double-blind, cross-over study we investigated the haemodynamic effects of a beta-blocker (atenolol 50 mg) and a calcium antagonist (nifedipine SR 20 mg) given either separately or in combination in three groups of hypertensive patients. Each treatment was administered twice daily. The fixed combination given twice daily for four weeks produced reductions in blood pressure which lasted for at least 12 h after administration of the last dose. The control of blood pressure by the combination was superior to that achieved by its individual components. Adverse effects normally associated with nifedipine were less frequent when it was given with atenolol. Compliance with treatment was good, but best when the drugs were given together rather than separately. A fixed combination of atenolol and nifedipine may prove useful in treating hypertensive patients inadequately controlled on beta-blocker therapy alone.

Current therapy, present limitations and future goals for systemic hypertension

During the past 2 decades, encouraging strides have been made in the recognition and treatment of patients with high blood pressure and in the development of antihypertensive therapy. Concerns surrounding the control of hypertension, however, continue to emerge. As many as two-thirds of hypertensive patients in the US remain inadequately controlled. Although overall cardiovascular mortality has declined since the mid- 1960s, a significant impact of antihypertensive therapy on coronary artery disease morbidity and mortality has not been conclusively demonstrated. Unfavorable metabolic effects associated with traditional step-care antihypertensive therapy with diuretics and beta blockers are increasingly implicated for failure to demonstrate a decrease in coronary artery disease. The availability of newer efficacious antihypertensive therapy that does not adversely affect metabolic parameters is resulting in a reappraisal of traditional step-care. Of particular interest are the calcium channel blockers, because they are efficacious, well tolerated and offer favorable metabolic and hemodynamic profiles. Nitrendipine is a new long-acting member of the 1,4 dihydropyridine class of calcium channel blockers that has shown encouraging results for treatment of hypertension.