Nifedipine

Abstract

Between July 1984 and December 1986 a double blind randomized study was conducted at the Allergy Clinic of the Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Medellín, Colombia, in order to compare the effects of Nifedipine, Ketotifen and placebo on allergic asthma in children; each drug and the placebo were administered orally every 12 hours for a period of 4 months to a group of 20 children. The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of Nifedipine In the prophylactic management of allergic asthma in this population and to compare it with Ketotifen, a provenly efficacious drug, and placebo.

AII patients were older than 5 years and had suffered the disease for more than 2 years. Nifedipine treated patients showed a reduction in the frequency of their asthmatic crisis (17 patients; 85%) and in their intensity and duration (16 patients; 80%); a similar reduction was observed In the need for bronchodilators; 18 patients (90%) reported beneficial effects with this drug and medical evaluation confirmed Improvement In 14 (70%).

These results resembled those obtained with Ketotifen and both were statistically superior to placebo (p<0.05). Pulmonary function tests, pulse rate and blood pressure did not show any significant changes. Secondary effects were minimal and self-Limited.

It is concluded that Nifedipine can be an alternative drug for the treatment of mild to moderate allergic asthma in children. If calcium antagonists with higher affinity for the respiratory tract and better blocking effects are synthesized they might become the elective therapeutic choice for these patients.