title: The calcium antagonists in vasospastic angina.
abstract: Coronary vasospasm is an important pathophysiologic mechanism of angina at rest. Because the calcium antagonists are potent vasodilators, they have become widely used and are now considered the treatment of choice for vasospastic angina. Practically all currently available calcium antagonists in the United States have been shown to be efficacious and safe for the therapy of vasospastic angina. However, because spontaneous remissions are common and angina attacks can frequently occur during the nighttime, considerations such as the duration of action of a given agent, the duration of treatment, and patient compliance have become important in the selection of the most appropriate therapy. Amlodipine is a long-acting dihydropyridine derivative that is suitable for use as a once-daily calcium antagonist. There is preliminary evidence that amlodipine is efficacious and well tolerated in vasospastic angina. Amlodipine, therefore, has the potential to become the preferred calcium antagonist for this condition.
authors.affiliation: University of Miami, Division of Cardiology, Miami, FL 33101, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Chahine
mesh_terms: D017311:Amlodipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003329:Coronary Vasospasm / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D017311:Amlodipine