Key result
Lower pretreatment ionized calcium correlates with greater systolic blood pressure reduction on verapamil.
Why the study?
Serum ionized calcium may predict blood pressure response to slow calcium channel blockade in essential hypertension but this relationship was not well established.
Does pretreatment serum ionized calcium predict the blood pressure response to verapamil in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension?
Population
20 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension
Comparison
Before and after verapamil sustained release 240 mg bid treatment
Design
Observational cohort study
Follow-up
Four weeks
Authors
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Verapamil lowers BP without altering ionized calcium; leaves open any mechanistic or predictive role in larger cohorts.
Does pretreatment serum ionized calcium predict the blood pressure response to verapamil in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension?
Effect estimate: r = -0.56
p-value: p=0.01
Pretreatment serum ionized calcium levels may serve as a predictor for the blood pressure-lowering efficacy of verapamil in patients with essential hypertension.
Midtbø et al. (1987) studied mild to moderate essential hypertension (n=20). Verapamil sustained release was evaluated on Reduction in systolic blood pressure (r = -0.56, p=0.01). Pretreatment serum ionized calcium inversely correlated with systolic blood pressure reduction during verapamil treatment (r = -0.56, p = 0.01).
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