Effects of benidipine, a long-acting T-type calcium channel blocker, on home blood pressure and renal function in patients with essential hypertension: a retrospective, 'real-world' comparison with amlodipine.
OBJECTIVE
Calcium channel antagonists (calcium channel blockers [CCBs]) are often used in the treatment of patients with hypertension to achieve strict blood pressure (BP) targets. In the present study, we compared the antihypertensive effects (determined by home BP [HBP] measurements) and the effects on renal function of benidipine (hydrochloride) and amlodipine (mesylate), a commonly used CCB.


METHODS
Changes in HBP and urinary albumin excretion (UAE) were investigated in 47 benidipine and 37 amlodipine recipients with essential hypertension and albuminuria between January 2007 and December 2007. Both benidipine and amlodipine significantly reduced morning and evening HBP over a 12-month period.


RESULTS
Both medications also significantly reduced UAE compared with pretreatment values; however, the reduction in UAE observed in the benidipine group occurred independent of the drug's antihypertensive effects, whereas a positive correlation was shown between the reduction in morning systolic BP and UAE in the amlodipine group.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate that benidipine favourably affects renal function in patients with essential hypertension compared with amlodipine, suggesting that the clinical benefits of benidipine as an antihypertensive drug include a renoprotective effect.
Ohta
Masahiro
M
Department of General Internal Medicine, Ohta Nishinouchi Hospital, Koriyama City, Fukushima, Japan. mohta@ohta-hp.or.jp
Sugawara
Shinichi
S
Sato
Noriyuki
N
Kuriyama
Chizuko
C
Hoshino
Chisho
C
Kikuchi
Akio
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000139:chemically induced; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type / Q000187:drug effects; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D017311:Amlodipine; C061004:benidipine