The calcium channel blocker nisoldipine delays progression of chronic renal failure in humans (preliminary communication)

Abstract

Chronic renal failure (CRF) patients with a stable course were asked to participate in a follow-up program in which they were randomized into two groups: 1) the placebo group taking their standard antihypertensive therapy without any calcium ion blocker: and 2) the nisoldipine group, those patients taking the calcium channel blocker nisoldipine as the only antihypertensive drug. The two groups had similar blood pressures on entering the study (151 +/- 21.3/90.7 +/- 7.4 mmHg in the nisoldipine and 146.7 +/- 18/94 +/- 9.4 mmHg in the placebo group). Their protein intake was also similar (daily average throughout the follow-up period: 0.83 +/- 0.18 g protein per kg body weight in the nisoldipine and 0.9 +/- 0.12 g in the placebo group). The patients were checked monthly. The follow-up averaged 11.1 +/- 4.8 months in the nisoldipine group and 13.7 +/- 4.2 months in the placebo group. The rate of progression of CRF, as expressed by the slope of the regression line of 1/serum creatinine versus time, decreased in the nisoldipine group from the initial (-8.03 +/- 4.91) x 10(-3) to (-5.57 +/- 5) x 10(-3) (two-tailed P-test = 0.016) after intervention. The slopes tended to become steeper in the placebo group, with an initial slope of (-4.1 +/- 3.2) x 10(-3) changing to (-7.9 +/- 5) x 10(-3) after intervention. This difference did not reach statistical significance (two-tailed P = 0.072). The rate of progression of CRF decreased in 12 of 14 patients in the nisoldipine-treated group versus 3 of 11 patients in the placebo group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)