Once-daily Doses of Nifedipine and Felodipine in Essential Hypertension - Evaluation by 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Abstract

Background Extended-release preparations of two calcium antagonists, nifedipine 30 mg and felodipine 5 mg, were compared for blood pressure control in essential hypertensives, by use of office as well as 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements.
Methods This was a randomised, controlled, multicenter intervention study in Sweden and Finland. The total number of patients was 48 males and females.
Results The result indicated that both drugs were equally effective in achieving blood pressure control, but increased pulse rate with 3-4 beats/minute compared to placebo.
Conclusions Both nifedipine and felodipine are equally effective in blood pressure control. Current clinical studies, such as INSIGHT, are investigating if this effect on blood pressure by nifedipine is also of importance for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.