Question

Can we administer calcium channel blockers and beta blockers to treat angina?

Answer 1

Angina is a type of chest pain caused by decreased blood flow to the heart. Angina is one of the symptom in coronary artery disease. There are many medications to treat angina. Calcium channel blockers and beta blockers are used to treat angina due to their specific actions on the cardiac muscles. Calcium Channel Blockers and beta blockers are cardiac drugs used to treat hypertension and specific heart diseases like chest pain and irregular heart rates.

Beta blockers also known as beta adrenergic blockers, which works by blocking the hormone adrenaline(epinephrine) and thereby reduces blood pressure and heart rate. Beta blockers inhibits the adrenaline action on heart, therefore this benefits the angina patients by lowering heart rate during exertions or stress and reducing the force of heart muscle contraction. All of these together decreases the coronary oxygen demand in the angina patients hence the pain is decreased. Furthermore, it decreases the chance of another heart attack in patients with previous myocardial infarction. Examples of beta blockers are; Atenolol, Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Propranolol etc.

Calcium channel blockers also acts on the heart by blocking the calcium from entering the blood vessels and heart cells. Calcium causes contraction of muscles, by lowering the calcium in the cardiac muscle cells the contractility also decreased and helps the cardiac muscles to relax.Hence, the oxygen demand of the cardiac muscles are decreased and angina is relived. Examples of calcium channel blockers are; amlodipine, nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem etc.  

calcium channel blockers and beta blockers are effective to treat angina due to its property to decrease the cardiac muscle contraction and thereby the myocardial oxygen demands.