The effect of amlodipine alone and in combination with atenolol on bowel habit in patients with hypertension: an observation.

The prevalence of hypertension increases with advancing age. The management of hypertension especially in the elderly has its own limitations. Verapamil is not recommended in the elderly on account of high incidences of troublesome constipation. Amlodipine has become very popular with the cardiologists and general physicians. Survey of literature has not yielded any citation where the troublesome effect of amlodipine on the gastrointestinal tract has been reported. In an experimental study on isolated rabbit intestine we have demonstrated that amlodipine dose-dependently inhibit the spontaneous activity of the intestinal tract. With this background the present observational study was planned. A total of 100 hypertensive patients were included in the present study. Fifty patients were on amlodipine alone and 50 patients on combination of amlodipine and atenolol. The main parameter analyzed was the frequency and consistency of stool before and after intake of drug. The relative risk (RR) of developing constipation was 4.00 with 95% CI 0.8930 to 17.917 in amlodipine alone group. From this study it can be concluded that the relative risk of developing constipation is 4 times more in patients who are taking amlodipine alone as compared to those patients who are on combination of amlodipine and atenolol.