[Calcium antagonists: current and future applications based on new evidence. Calcium channel blockers in the elderly with hypertension].

As calcium channel blocker (CCB) shows high level of tolerance, blood pressure lowering effect and organ blood flow, we usefully use to manage the elderly hypertensives, and the guideline by Japanese Society of Hypertension in 2009 reveals as a first line drug. Although there is a few multi-center study about the elderly hypertensives, Syst-Eur, NICS-EH, STOP Hypertension-2, PATE-Hypertension, CASE-J showed CCB could prevent the occurrence of cerebro-cardiovascular events. CCB also prevents cerebro-cardiovascular events in the elderly hypertensives with diabetes. Accumulating these evidences, CCB is very useful for treatment of elderly hypertensive patients not only as a first-line drug, but also a second or third-line drug.