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

Abstract

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.

Keywords::

• angina pectoris
• coronary artery disease
• essential hypertension
• nifedipine GITS

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.