Effect of verapamil on subclinical brain damage in hypertensive patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the antihypertensive treatment with verapamil on the development of brain damage in hypertensive patients. We studied 26 hypertensive stroke-free patients. Following parameters were estimated: 24-hours BP monitoring, plasma levels of the lipids and basal postprandial glucose, and brain MRI. All the parameters were evaluated before and after 6-month therapy with verapamil. Our data demonstrated that antihypertensive therapy with verapamil in hypertensive patients significantly decreased BP, had good tolerability profile, and was accompanied by the reversal of the preclinical MRI signs indicative of structural brain damage, in particular, our data showed subsidence of hydrocephalus and decrease in the periventricular and subcortical edema that depended on the antihypertensive efficacy.