ALDO-DHF & PARAMOUNT

Results of the ALDOsterone receptor blockade in Diastolic Heart Failure (ALDO---DHF) were recently presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting in Munich.1 The multicenter, double---blind randomized, placebo---controlled phase IIb mechanistic study was conducted to test the hypothesis that 12 months treatment with spironolactone would improve cardiac function and structure as well as exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF continues to be a challenging form of heart failure – one in which no therapy has yet been proven to improve outcome and with a prevalence that continues to rise at an alarming rate. An extensive review on HFpEF – including various drugs in current use as well as those under trial – was published in the last issue of the journal.