PILOT-STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF NITRENDIPINE ON CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WITH A HISTORY OF CEREBRAL INFARCTION

Single daily administration of nitrendipine, a long-acting calcium channel blocker, reduces blood pressure during the day with minimal nocturnal hypotensive effects. Because ischemic stroke often occurs at night and is probably related to nocturnal hypotension, nitrendipine is considered suitable for antihypertensive therapy in stroke patients. In 10 hypertensive patients with a history of cerebral infarction (7 men and 3 women, ages 55 to 73 years), 10-mg nitrendipine once daily after breakfast was administered for 8 weeks, and cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured before and after treatment. After 8 weeks of treatment, blood pressure decreased from 169 +/- 12/95 +/- 6 mm Hg to 142 +/- 12/78 +/- 4 mm Hg. The CBF increased by 8.8 +/- 11.2% in the infarcted hemisphere and by 7.3 +/- 10.2% in the healthy hemisphere. The CBF increase in the infarcted hemisphere was significant (P < 0.05). None of the patients exhibited symptoms suggestive of cerebral ischemia after therapy. Single daily administration of 10-mg nitrendipine appears to be useful for management of blood pressure in stroke patients with hypertension.