title: The calcium channel blocker controversy.
abstract: A major controversy about the safety of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) has arisen since the publication of a case-control study showing that hypertensives who suffered an acute myocardial infarction (MI) were more likely than hypertensives who had not had an MI to be taking one of these (short-acting) agents than other antihypertensive agents. This study was accompanied by a republication of older studies showing that large doses of short-acting nifedipine given to post-MI patients increased their mortality rate. The danger of massive doses of short-acting nifedipine in a post-MI patient is real but irrelevant to current practice. On the other hand, the putative dangers of short-acting CCBs in the treatment of hypertension do not apply to the current use of long-acting CCBs. Therefore the scare over their use is both irrational and unfortunate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75235-8899, USA.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers