M. Bicchi et al., EFFECT OF FELODIPINE ON ARTERIAL BLOOD-FLOW AND VENOUS FUNCTION AT REST IN PATIENTS WITH MILD ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION, Angiology, 49(5), 1998, pp. 373-380
Felodipine is a second-generation dihydropyridine calcium antagonist u
sed to treat mild to moderate arterial hypertension. The authors used
venous occlusion plethysmography to study the effect of this drug on l
ower limb arterial inflow and venous outflow in 10 at rest patients wi
th mild essential hypertension. They also sought correlations between
changes in district blood flow and blood pressure. Plethysmography was
carried out at 8 AM and 4, 8, and 24 hours later at baseline (after w
ashout), on the first day of treatment with a single daily administrat
ion of 10 mg felodipine ER, and after 7 and 30 days of treatment. The
drug was given after the 8 AM evaluation. The authors determined rest
flow, maximal venous incremental volume (MVIV) at 40 mmHg and 60 mmHg,
and gradient of venous volume between 60 and 40 mmHg divided by the p
ressure difference (DV/DP) as index of venous distensibility. On the d
ays of plethysmographic evaluation, arterial blood pressure and heart
rate were measured continuously over 24 hours by the ABPM (Ambulatory
Blood Pressure Monitoring). The results were analyzed by ANOVA. Rest f
low, MVIV, and DV/DP were stable at the baseline evaluation. On days 1
, 7, and 30 of treatment the rest flow after 4 and 8 hours was signifi
cantly greater than at 8 AM but had always returned to normal after 24
hours. No other plethysmographic parameters changed significantly; in
particular venous outflow remained unchanged. Mean arterial, systolic
, and diastolic blood pressure were significantly reduced, compared wi
th baseline, following treatment on the first day and after 7 and 30 d
ays' treatment. There was no effect on heart rate. The authors conclud
e that felodipine is useful for the treatment of mild essential hypert
ension, since it reduces arterial resistance without altering venous c
apacitance or distensibility.