News - Hypertension Week of Jan. 11, 2004/ Vol. 3 No. 02

Study: Calcium Antagonists Not Best Hypertension Drug for Diabetics

Calcium antagonists are comparable to other types of high blood pressure medications but not as effective in preventing heart failure in patients who suffer from both diabetes and hypertension, according to a study reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

Previous studies have found calcium antagonists to be safe and effective for patients who don’t respond to standard medicines or who stop taking them because of bothersome side effects.

Researchers at Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel analyzed past medical studies to determine how calcium antagonists stack up against renin-angiotensin blockers, beta-blockers and diuretics in treating hypertensive patients with diabetes.

The researchers identified 14 studies that reported outcomes from the use of these classes of drugs in such patients. Compared with a placebo, calcium antagonists reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Compared with beta-blockers and diuretics, calcium antagonists had similar effects on coronary heart disease and total mortality and may have reduced the risk of stroke. However, they resulted in a lesser reduction of the risk of heart failure

Calcium antagonists were found to be less effective than renin-angiotensin blockers in preventing heart failure, but had similar effects on stroke, coronary heart disease and mortality, according to the researchers.

"Calcium antagonists are safe and effective in reducing most types of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in diabetic hypertensive patients, although their use is associated with a lesser reduction of risk of heart failure as compared with other treatments for hypertension," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: American Journal of Medicine 2004 Jan 1;116(1):44-9