Blood Pressure and Angina-Related Health Status During Benidipine Therapy: A Multicenter Real-World Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Benidipine is a long-acting calcium channel blocker used for the treatment of hypertension and chronic coronary syndrome. Although it effectively lowers blood pressure (BP), the relationship between BP reduction and improvement in angina-related health status during benidipine therapy remains uncertain. This study evaluated changes in BP and patient-reported angina-related health status in a large real-world cohort. Methods: This prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study included 1659 patients with hypertension and/or chronic coronary syndrome who underwent baseline clinical assessment before initiation of benidipine therapy and were reassessed after 3 months. Changes in systolic and diastolic BP and Seattle Angina Questionnaire-7 (SAQ-7) scores were evaluated. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of BP reduction and symptomatic improvement. A propensity score-matched analysis according to coronary artery disease (CAD) status was conducted to further explore differences in treatment response. Results: The mean age was 62.2 +/- 12.2 years, and 54.0% of participants were women. Systolic BP decreased by 13.8 mmHg and diastolic BP by 6.7 mmHg (both p < 0.001). Mean SAQ-7 score increased by 8.1 points (p < 0.001), exceeding the established threshold for clinically meaningful improvement. Baseline SAQ-7 score showed the strongest association with change in SAQ-7, whereas baseline systolic BP was the strongest predictor of BP reduction. The correlation between changes in systolic BP and SAQ-7 was weak (r = 0.058, p = 0.023). In the propensity score-matched cohort (n = 732), BP reduction was similar regardless of CAD status, whereas improvement in SAQ-7 was greater in patients without obstructive CAD. Conclusions: In this multicenter real-world cohort, benidipine therapy was associated with significant BP reduction and clinically meaningful improvement in angina-related health status over 3 months. Symptomatic improvement showed only a weak association with BP reduction. These findings should be interpreted within the limitations of an observational study and warrant confirmation in controlled comparative studies.