A new study from Penn State and other research teams has found that a popular type of medication used to treat high blood pressure may actually be causing harm.
These drugs are called L-type calcium channel blockers, or LCCBs. They are often given to people with high blood pressure, but the study shows that they might damage blood vessels, reduce blood flow, and increase the risk of heart failure.
High blood pressure is a serious health issue around the world. In the United States, nearly half of all adults—over 100 million people—have high blood pressure. Globally, that number could reach 1.56 billion by the year 2025.
LCCBs are one of the most commonly used drugs to manage this condition. But this new research raises big concerns about how safe these medications really are over time.
Normally, LCCBs are supposed to help by stopping calcium from entering certain muscle cells in the walls of blood vessels. These muscle cells, called vascular smooth muscle cells, help the blood vessels tighten or relax as needed.
In people with high blood pressure, too much calcium enters these cells and makes the blood vessels thicker and stiffer. That can make the condition worse.
LCCBs were designed to block this calcium and prevent the damage. But the study found that instead of stopping the thickening and stiffening, LCCBs may actually cause it in a different way.
In both animals and humans, the researchers saw signs that these drugs still led to harmful changes in the blood vessels. This could explain why people who take LCCBs seem more likely to develop heart failure later on.
The study used lab tests, genetic studies, and experiments with rats to explore how LCCBs affect blood vessels. Researchers also looked at patient records from Penn State’s hospital system. They compared people who took LCCBs with those who used other types of blood pressure drugs. The results showed that people on LCCBs had a much higher risk of heart failure.
Older adults and people with very high blood pressure were especially at risk. The study also warned that patients with COVID-19 might be more likely to have bad outcomes if they take LCCBs, since these drugs could make blood vessel damage worse.
If you are taking LCCBs for high blood pressure, this doesn’t mean you should stop them on your own. But it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor about whether another type of treatment might be better for you. There are other medications, as well as lifestyle changes like eating healthier, exercising more, and managing stress, that can also help lower blood pressure safely.
This research shows how important it is to carefully choose the right treatment for high blood pressure. Doctors and scientists will need to do more studies, but this could lead to changes in how these drugs are used in the future.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about breakfast for better blood pressure management, and the gut feeling that lowers blood pressure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how the dash diet helps lower blood pressure, and how to eat your way to healthy blood pressure.
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