Clinical indications for calcium channel blockers

Ca2+ channel blocking agents have proven to be one of the most exciting groups of drugs for management of many cardiovascular diseases and as potentially first-line agents for treatment of angina pectoris and hypertension. Unlike beta blockers, they can directly relax coronary and peripheral arteries and, therefore, reduce total peripheral resistance and improve tissue perfusion. Ca2+ channel blockers are drugs of choice for patients with Prinzmetal's angina and should be first-line drugs for mixed angina, and can be used alone or with beta blockers for classic angina. These drugs as a group have many potential clinical indications, especially in diseases in which vascular or smooth muscle spasm seems to cause the disease. Although all three Ca2+ channel blockers have a common mechanism of action, their cardiac and hemodynamic effects are different, nifedipine being the least depressant to cardiac function. In choosing the right agent, careful consideration should be given to the patient's characteristics in order to derive maximum benefit with minimal risks.