Is Usage of Long-acting Calcium Antagonists Safe?

Abstract

Usage of short-acting calcium antagonists has been reduced after publication ofmeta-analysis by Furberg and al. In 1997 Subcommittee of WHO and International Society of Hypertension stated that the available data do not provide good evidence of adverse or harmful effects of long-acting calcium antagonists in patients with hypertension. However, some recent papers suggest disadvantages of selected longacting calcium antagonists in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus or heart failure. Some authors suspect that calcium antagonists may promote risk of cancer. In this article authors discuss these problems in relation to the latest literature.