Common BP drug does not benefit heart failure patients, claim scientists.Byline: ANI Washington, Dec 5 (ANI): A new study from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre has found that a common blood pressure drug, AvaproTM, does not benefit heart failure patients. Doctors long believed that most heart failure was caused by a weakening of the heart muscle that kept it from pumping enough blood out to the body (systolic heart failure systolic heart failure Cardiology Heart failure with a severely reduced systolic function–LV ejection fraction of ≤35%. Cf Diastolic heart failure. ). In recent years, however, they have recognized a second and more common form of the disorder in which the heart can empty normally, but does not fill with enough blood (diastolic heart failure diastolic heart failure Cardiology Heart failure with preserved left ventricular systolic function–LV ejection fraction of ≥ 50%, no segmental wall motion abnormalities, and no evidence of significant coronary, valvular, infiltrative, pericardial, or ). The result is the same - the body does not get enough oxygen-rich blood for its needs. The most common symptom is shortness of breath Shortness of Breath Definition Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a feeling of difficult or labored breathing that is out of proportion to the patient's level of physical activity. . Other symptoms include fatigue, swelling around the ankles and high blood pressure. In the study involved 4,128 patients, who were at least 60 years old and were randomly placed into two groups. One group received 300 milligrams of irbesartan, an anti-hypertensive medication marketed as AvaproTM. The other group was given a placebo. The study showed treatment with irbesartan did not reduce the risk of death or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes among patients who had diastolic heart failure, nor did it improve any of the secondary clinical outcomes, including quality of life. The results counter the findings of previous studies claiming that the drug may have had a potential benefit. "Heart failure is the only cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease on the rise," said Dalane Kitzman, M.D., a cardiologist and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist, principal investigator for the Wake Forest Baptist trial site and the national coordinator for the study. "And this newer form of the disease is increasing fastest of all. That's what makes it disconcerting dis·con·cert tr.v. dis·con·cert·ed, dis·con·cert·ing, dis·con·certs 1. To upset the self-possession of; ruffle. See Synonyms at embarrass. 2. - that we don't have a proven effective treatment. We sort of have to go back to the drawing board," Kitzman added. The study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. . (ANI) Copyright 2008 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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