A clinical research on valsartan combined with enalapril in treatment of congestive heart failure

Objective To investigate the effects of valsartan combined with enalapril on ventricular function,plasma renin activity,angiotensin Ⅱ,and aldosterone levels.Method Fourty-eight patients conformiog to the New York Heart Association functional class(NYHA-FC) Ⅱto Ⅳ were randomly assigned to receive either enalapril (10 mg),enalapril (10 mg) plus 80 mg of valsartan, for 4 months.After therapy,left ventricular function,renin,angiotensin,aldosterone levels,and tolerability were observed.Results There were 22 patients in enalapril group,26 patients in combination group.NYHA-FC improved in the two groups.There was a significant increase in ejection fraction(EF) in the two groups(P0.01),EF increased (P0.01) in valsartan-plus-enalapril group more than in the enalapril alone group (1.5±1.5%).LVIDd decreased in combination therapy group (P0.01) more than in enalapril alone group (P0.05).Angiotensin Ⅱ increased(P0.05) in combination therapy.Aldosterone decreased (P0.01) in combination therapy more than in enalapril alone therapy.No significant differences in creatinine occurred in the two groups during follow-up.Conclusion The combination of valsartan and enalapril is more beneficial for improving left ventricular function and preventing left ventricular remodeling than enalapril alone.