The ACTION study: nifedipine in patients with symptomatic stable angina and hypertension

Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease continue to be the leading causes of illness and death in adults from developed countries. High blood pressure is the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor and, in clinical practice, coronary disease and hypertension often occur concurrently. Calcium antagonists are used in the treatment of hypertension and angina. In the mid-1990s there was considerable debate concerning the safety of calcium antagonists in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (ACTION) study was designed as a consequence of this discussion on calcium antagonists to investigate the effects of the long-acting calcium antagonist nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system on clinical outcomes in patients with stable, symptomatic coronary disease (52% of whom were hypertensive). The aim of this review is to provide an update on the status of the reported ACTION study results from different studies and subgroups.