RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: to compare efficacy of verapamil and amlodipine in treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) with preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) in patients with hypertensive disease (HD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with stage III HD, class II-III CHF, and LVEF more or equal 50% (n=167, age 48-70 years) underwent complex examination before and after 12 months of treatment with perindopril combined either with verapamil SR (n=85) or amlodipine (n=82). RESULTS: Average 6-minute walk distance increased after both verapamil and amlodipine containing treatment (by 15.1 and 18.2%, respectively). Administration of both drugs was associated with improvement of clinical state and quality of life. But only treatment containing amlodipine was associated with lowering of N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide and improvement of echocardiographic parameters of LV diastolic function. CONCLUSION: In treatment of CHF in patients with HD amlodipine is at least not inferior to verapamil for elevation of exercise tolerance and superior to verapamil for improvement of LV diastolic function. Amlodipine might be perspective for use in patients with chronotropic incompetence.
