It is necessary for clotting, dental development, bone development and also for the transmission of information at neuromuscular junctions. It is this part that calcium plays that is important in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. The Calcium channel involves the transmission of information to involuntary smooth muscles to expand and contract - namely the muscles that expand and contract the coronary arteries. Calcim Channel Blockers keep vessels dilated that have previously been damaged by atherosclerosis. The combination of peripheral vascular resistance, fluid volume and cardiac output influence the level of blood pressure.
Diuretics act to decrease the volume of fluid and thus lower the pressure.
A patient with mild to moderate hypertension may be treated with changes in diet, exercise and be placed on a diuretic. With more severe cases of hypertension their may be use of ACE inhibitors, Calcium Channel Blockers, Alpha adrenergic blockers or any of these combined with a diuretic. Consultation with the patient's physician is recommended due to the need to balance pain control and stress to the patient with the risk of ischemic pain. The Calcium Channel Blockers are associated with sometimes severe gingival hyperplasia. The drug with the highest incidence of this is Procardia.