Therapy of coronary heart disease with diltiazem and nifedipine

Effectiveness and compatibility of Diltiazem in comparison to Nifedipin in the therapy of coronary heart disease with stable angina pectoris treatable with nitroglycerin were tested in 39 patients in a clinical, randomized double-blind study. There was a highly significant reduction of angina and of ST-segment depression on the treadmill both in patients treated with Diltiazem and Nifedipin, while the difference between the two groups was not significant. Both calcium-antagonistic substances were equally effective in a dose of 180 mg/day Diltiazem and 30 mg/day Nifedipin. A short term therapy of coronary heart disease with the tested substances is therefore an alternative to the commonly used nitroglycerin therapy. Preliminary results of a long-term study confirm these results.