RESUMO
Aim To evalute the effects of losartan on the cardiac function and secretion of nitric oxide(NO)and endothelin(ET)in patients with congestive heart failure(CHF).Methods Sixty patients with class Ⅱ～Ⅳ CHF were randomised to receive a 12 weeks of routine therapy either with losartan(n=30)to be added from 25 mg to 50 mg daily or with enalapril(n=30)to be added from 2.5 mg to 5 mg daily. The cardiac systolic and diastolic funtion and the levels of NO and ET were observed before and after therapy respectively, with 30 normal control subjects seving as control. Results The abnormal cardiac systolic and diastolic function parameter were present in patients with CHF. The ET and NO levels in CHF patients were significantly higher than those in the control group(P