The effect of nisoldipine on renal function in the long-term treatment of hypertension in patients with and without renal impairment.

The effect of nisoldipine on renal function after 6 weeks treatment was investigated in hypertensive patients with and without renal impairment. Nisoldipine was well tolerated and an effective antihypertensive agent when administered over a period of 6 weeks. There were no significant changes in glomerular filtration, cardiac output, plasma renin activity or serum biochemistry during nisoldipine administration. Effective renal plasma flow was unaffected by treatment in the patients with normal renal function, but in the patients with renal insufficiency, the value decreased by a mean of 12%. Nisoldipine had no major untoward effects on renal function after 6 weeks administration, but minor changes in renal haemodynamics in the patients with renal insufficiency would suggest that careful monitoring of renal function is indicated in such patients.