LETTER
Calcium Channel Antagonists and Gingival Hyperplasia
David E. Mathis, MD, and
Allison P. Scheetz, MD
15 October 1994 | Volume 121 Issue 8 | Pages 624-625
TO THE EDITOR:
We read with interest the report by Steele and colleagues [1] on calcium antagonist-induced gingival hyperplasia. Recently, we found two young adults who experienced gingival hyperplasia while receiving high-dose, extended-release nifedipine. We are curious about several other issues not specifically addressed in the report. First, was the treatment drug given in several doses daily as standard release, or was the extended-release preparation used? If the extended-release methods were used, were plasma levels checked? Could the delivery system have affected the prevalence of hyperplasia? Second, how was drug compliance addressed? Was this a confounding issue? Third, were there any differences in the amounts of hyperplasia noted at lower levels of treatment drug compared with higher levels? Finally, have any age, sex, or race differences been reported for patients with hyperplasia compared with those without? We believe these are interesting issues that must be addressed to help clarify this interesting drug side effect.
1. Steele RM, Schuna AA, Schreiber RT. Calcium anatagonist-induced gingival hyperplasia. Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120:663-4.
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