Vitamin B lowers mortality risk linked with Calcium Channel Blockers in Suspected Stable Angina Pectoris

A recent study suggests that calcium channel blockers (CCB), when used along with vitamin B for the treatment of suspected stable angina pectoris (SAP), can lower the mortality risk among such patients. This study’s findings were published in the American journal of clinical nutrition.

The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, B-vitamin interventional trial that included 3,991 patients, out of which 907 were prescribed CCBs post-discharge. Baseline characteristics were measured using linear regression while hazard ratio was examined using Cox regression analysis. It was found that patients treated with CCB had elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) which acts as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and fibrinogen levels. Furthermore, CCB use associated with vitamin B use was strongly linked to low mortality.

The hazard ratio (HR) for total, CVD, and non-CVD deaths were 1.54, 1.69, and 1.41, respectively, in patients not treated with vitamin B; whereas 1.15, 1.09, and 1.20, respectively in patients treated with B-vitamin. Thus, patients with suspected SAP had a higher mortality risk when CCB treatment was given without B-vitamins.