SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF AMLODIPINE - A NEW ONCE-DAILY CALCIUM-ANTAGONIST IN NONHYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WITH CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

To analyze the effects of the treatment of 5 mg amlodipine on blood pressure and heart rate with a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device and to evaluate its antiischemic efficacy using treadmill exercise testing, 7 non-hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease were studied. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate recorded over the entire day and during daytime did not change significantly after the treatment. On the other hand, the systolic blood pressure decreased significantly at night (122+/-19 --> 113+/-17 mmHg, p<0.05) after treatment, but the change can be considered to be within the physiological range. Exercise duration increased significantly after the administration of amlodipine (9.7+/-4.8 --> 11.1+/-4.9 min, p<0.05). Systolic blood pressure, heart rate and rate-pressure product decreased significantly and in addition, ST segment depression was significantly less marked (-0.25+/-0.09 --> -0.21+/-0.09 mV, p<0.05) after treatment, when compared at the same level of work load. Therefore, the new once-daily calcium antagonist amlodipine is safe and efficacious in non-hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease.