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Hypertension, possible vascular protection and lercanidipine

C Venkata S Ram1

  • 1University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Texas Blood Pressure Institute, 1420 Viceroy Drive, Dallas, TX 75235, USA. ramv@dneph.com

Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy
|December 19, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Newer dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers like lercanidipine offer effective blood pressure control. They provide a favorable safety profile with fewer side effects, such as ankle edema, compared to older drugs.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Systemic hypertension is a significant global health issue causing widespread morbidity and mortality.
  • Effective long-term blood pressure management often requires pharmacotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the role of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in hypertension management.
  • To compare the efficacy and side effect profiles of older dihydropyridines (DHPs) with newer lipophilic DHP CCBs, specifically lercanidipine.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical data on various antihypertensive drug classes.
  • Comparative analysis of side effect profiles, focusing on ankle edema.
  • Assessment of cardiorenal effects of different DHP CCBs.

Main Results:

  • Dihydropyridine CCBs are effective for achieving blood pressure targets.
  • Older DHPs like nifedipine, felodipine, and amlodipine are associated with ankle edema.
  • Newer lipophilic DHP CCBs, such as lercanidipine, demonstrate reduced incidence of ankle edema and possess beneficial cardiorenal effects.

Conclusions:

  • Lercanidipine represents a valuable treatment option for hypertension.
  • It offers efficient blood pressure control with a favorable safety profile, including less ankle edema and positive cardiorenal effects compared to older DHPs.

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