title: Calcium channel blockers for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one of several forms of pulmonary hypertension: a chronic disease of the pulmonary vasculature. The mean age at diagnosis is around 50 years old, with increasing prevalence in people over 70 years old (10% to 17%). The median survival to be approximately seven years with one-, three-, five-, and seven-year survival rates from time of diagnostic right-sided heart catheterization were 85%, 68%, 57%, and 49%, respectively. Several studies showed that calcium channel blockers (CCBs) reduce right ventricular hypertrophy and improve long-term haemodynamics in PAH.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical efficacy and harms of CCBs for people with PAH.
  
  
  METHODS
  The search strategy was provided by the Cochrane Airways Group Trials Search Co-ordinator. The following databases were searched from their inception until September 2014: the Cochrane Airways Group Register of Trials (CAGR); the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library,Issue 8 2014); MEDLINE (1948 to September 2014); EMBASE (1974 to September 2014); ClinicalTrials.gov; WHO trial portal; the Chinese Biomedical Databases (1979 to September 2014); CNKI: the Chinese Journals Full Text Database (1979 to September 2014), the Chinese Journals Full Text Database Century Journals (1979 to September 2014), the Chinese Doctoral Degree Thesis Full Text Database (1979 to September 2014), the Chinese Outstanding Master Degree Thesis Full Text Database (1979 to September 2014); VIP Database (1989 to September 2014) and WANFANG Database (1993 to September 2014). No language restriction was applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fully published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CCBs with placebo or other treatment, or comparing CCBs as an adjunct to other treatments with other treatments alone, in patients with PAH.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used standard methods expected by Cochrane.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found one RCT to include in this review but it was published only in abstract form with no data for evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Currently, as there is lack of valid evidence, the efficacy and safety of CCBs is unproven in the treatment of PAH. However, the search strategy used for this review did identify four controlled clinical trials without randomization, three of which suggested treatment with CCBs may be beneficial in PAH. No adverse side effects of CCBs were reported. Confirmation of these findings by RCTs is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine Continuing Care, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, 169608.
authors.forename: Zhiyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yuanjing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hanmin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001565:Benzoates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000077333:Telmisartan
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D001565:Benzoates; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009543:Nifedipine; D000077333:Telmisartan