Long-Term Therapy with Nifedipine-CR Improves Arterio-Sclerosis Related Markers in Patients with Untreated Essential Hypertension

Increased arteriosclerosis is associated with high risk of cardiovascular events. Several non-invasive markers for arteriosclerosis have been introduced, such as pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AI), and carotid properties assessed by echogram, to estimate the current risk and therapeutic merit of antihypertensives. In this study, 17 hypertensive patients were treated with nifedipine-CR alone for one year, and the non-invasive markers were simultaneously monitored every 3 months. Nifedipine-CR treatment achieved stable blood pressure control, and PWV and AI improved in parallel with the blood pressure. Interestingly, the elastic property of the carotid artery progressively decreased and there was a significant difference between the results at 3 and 12 months (85.8 ± 6.1 vs 72.4 ± 5.0 kPa, P = 0.009). Intima- media thickness of the carotid artery also decreased. In conclusion, nifedipine-CR demonstrated a stable anti-sclerotic quality in hypertensive patients and seems to be prominent in large arteries such as the carotid.