Combination therapy in hypertension: A focus on angiotensin receptor blockers and calcium channel blockers.
Every third adult in the United States has hypertension. Hypertension is a continuous, independent, potent risk factor for cardiovascular events like stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. The blood pressure control achieved with most hypertensives is way below the recommended goal. Recent trials suggest that for nearly half of hypertensive patients, a monotherapy regimen is not adequate to control blood pressure. Investigators recommend from randomized, controlled studies that combination therapy be considered when blood pressure is above the goal of 20/10 mm Hg. In this review we discuss clinical trials that establish the need for combination therapy, with the primary focus on a new combination: calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). ARBs and CCBs in combination can complement each other in lowering blood pressure, with a lower incidence of adverse effects, as compared with individual monotherapy components at high doses.
Meka
Naga
N
Department of Cardiology, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago VA Medical Center, IL 60064, USA.
Katragadda
Srikanth
S
Cherian
Biju
B
Arora
Rohit R
RR
D000328:Adult; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers