Azelnidipine is a useful medication for the treatment of heart failure preserved ejection fraction

ABSTRACT

Background: The optimal therapy in patients with heart failure preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and hypertension (HT) has not been revealed. The beta blocker (BB) and the renin angiotensin aldosterone system inhibitor (RAAS-I) are recommend as class IIa in patients with HFpEF. The calcium channel blocker (CCB), a major anti-hypertensive drugs in Japan, is also recommend as class IIa in patients with HFpEF. However, the difference between azelnidipine, an L type CCB, and cilnidipine, an N type CCB, is unclear. We investigated the difference between azelnidipine and cilnidipine in patients with HFpEF and HT. Methods: Twenty-five consecutive HFpEF patients treated with BB and RAAS-I from April 2013 to March 2015 were enrolled. Initially, cilnidipine was used, and then switched to azelnidipine. Age, gender, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), blood tests, echocardiography, and cardiac-scintigraphy (¹²³I-metaiodobenzylguanidine: MIBG) were measured before and after six months from azelnidipine administration. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in BP. B type natriuretic peptides were significantly reduced (pre-state: 195.4 ± 209.7 pg/ml and post-state: 140.7 ± 136.4 pg/ml, p = 0.050). In echocardiography, the TEI index tended to be decreased (pre-state: 0.47 ± 0.15 and post-state: 0.42 ± 0.08, p = 0.057). As for MIBG, there was no significant change in the heart/mediastinum ratio. However, the washout rate was significantly reduced (pre-state: 44.7 ± 12.2 and post-state: 40.7 ± 12.1, p = 0.011). In addition, there was no statistically significant change, although HR tended to decrease by switching to azelnidipine (pre-state: 62.7 ± 11.6 and post-state: 61.8 ± 16.5, p = 0.373). Conclusions: In patients with HT and HFpEF, azelnidipine improved the severity of HF and cardiac sympathetic nerve activity compared with cilnidipine.

KEYWORDS:

• Azelnidipine
• cardiac sympathetic nerve activity
• cilnidipine
• heart failure
• ¹²³I-metaiodobenzylguanidine cardiac-scintigraphy

Declaration of interest

T.I. received research funds and lecture fees from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Co., Ltd., Daiichi-Sankyo, Co., Ltd., and Ono Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding

This manuscript was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid (24591074 and 15K09103 to T.I.) for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid (24591074 and 15K09103 to T.I.) for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.