Journal
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
Volume 26, Issue 7, Pages 644-649Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehi176
Keywords
diuretics; heart failure; prognosis
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Several large well-designed clinical trials have shown that the use of diuretics is beneficial in patients with hypertension. However, similarly robust data regarding their rote in chronic heart failure are lacking. Historically, diuretics were developed for treatment of sodium and water retention in oedematous disorders and clinically, they remain the most potent drugs available to relieve symptoms and eliminate oedema in the congested patient with heart failure. In the non-congested patient, however, diuretics continue to be used on a purely clinical basis without sufficient characterization of benefits, adverse effects, and potential influence on mortality. There are also concerns that chronic diuretic usage can cause adverse vascular effects, unfavourabte neuroendocrine activation, electrolyte imbalances, and life-threatening arrhythmias. In this article, we review the limited evidence available regarding the benefits and perils of using diuretics in heart failure.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available