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[An overview of hypertension studies with calcium antagonists]

S E Kjeldsen1, K Midtbø, I Os

  • 1Hjerte- og nyremedisinske avdelinger, Medisinsk Klinikk, Ullevål sykehus, Oslo.

Tidsskrift for Den Norske Laegeforening : Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin, Ny Raekke
|June 26, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Long-acting calcium antagonists show effectiveness in treating hypertension, particularly isolated systolic hypertension and diabetes. Further trials are ongoing to compare their efficacy against diuretics and beta-blockers for reducing cardiovascular complications.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Hypertension Management

Background:

  • Calcium antagonists are a common hypertension treatment, but evidence for reducing complications is limited.
  • Existing studies suggest benefits for long-acting calcium antagonists in specific patient groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of calcium antagonists in preventing hypertensive complications.
  • To compare calcium antagonists with diuretics and beta-blockers in large-scale randomized trials.
  • To investigate the effectiveness of amlodipine versus atenolol in high-risk patients.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of existing endpoint studies (STONE, SYST-EUR, SYST-CHINA).
  • Ongoing prospective, randomized trials including STOP II, INSIGHT, NORDIL, ALLHAT, and ASCOT.
  • The ASCOT trial specifically compares amlodipine and atenolol in 18,000 high-risk hypertensive patients, including those with diabetes.

Main Results:

  • STONE, SYST-EUR, and SYST-CHINA indicate effectiveness of long-acting calcium antagonists, especially in isolated systolic hypertension and diabetes.
  • Ongoing trials aim to provide comparative data against diuretics and beta-blockers.

Conclusions:

  • Long-acting calcium antagonists demonstrate efficacy in specific hypertensive populations.
  • Further research is crucial to establish their superiority over established treatments like diuretics and beta-blockers for cardiovascular event reduction.

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