A recent study from Penn State and other institutions has found that some of the most commonly used drugs for high blood pressure—L-type calcium channel blockers (LCCBs)—may do more harm than good.
Researchers discovered that these medications, while designed to lower blood pressure, may actually damage blood vessels, reduce blood flow, and increase the risk of heart failure.
High blood pressure is a growing health concern. In the United States, nearly half of all adults—over 100 million people—have the condition. Globally, 1.56 billion people are expected to have high blood pressure by 2025. Doctors frequently prescribe LCCBs to manage hypertension, but this study raises serious concerns about their long-term effects.
How LCCBs Work—and Their Hidden Risks
LCCBs work by blocking calcium from entering the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) that line blood vessels. Normally, these cells help control blood pressure by contracting and relaxing as needed.
When someone has high blood pressure, excess calcium enters these cells, triggering changes that cause blood vessel walls to thicken and stiffen, making blood pressure even worse. LCCBs were designed to stop this from happening.
However, the study found that LCCBs may actually cause the same damaging changes they are meant to prevent. Instead of fully stopping the remodeling of blood vessels, these drugs activate a different mechanism that still leads to thickening and stiffening. This could explain why patients taking LCCBs were more likely to develop heart failure.
Evidence from Human and Animal Studies
The researchers used laboratory tests, molecular studies, and experiments on rats to analyze how LCCBs affect blood vessels. They also examined real-world data from the Penn State clinical database, which included patient records of people treated for high blood pressure.
Their analysis showed that patients taking LCCBs had a significantly higher risk of heart failure compared to those using other blood pressure medications.
The findings suggest that extra caution is needed when prescribing LCCBs, especially for older adults and those with severe hypertension. The researchers also warn that patients with COVID-19 who take LCCBs may be at even greater risk because these drugs could worsen damage to blood vessels.
What This Means for Patients
If you take L-type calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure, it may be worth discussing alternative optionswith your doctor, especially if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Other treatments, such as lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, and different classes of blood pressure medications, might be safer and just as effective.
This study highlights the importance of carefully choosing hypertension treatments to ensure they do not cause unexpected harm. More research is needed, but these findings could lead to new guidelines for safer blood pressure management.
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