Heart Therapy Ups Survival in African-Americans

A new therapy has been developed for the treatment of heart failure in self-identified African-Americans to improve survival, prolong time to hospitalization for heart failure, and improve patient-reported functional status.

The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) has recommended the use of BiDil, manufactured by Nitromed (Lexington, MA, USA), as part of standard therapy such as beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for treating African-Americans with symptomatic heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. BiDil combines two ingredients (isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine hydrochloride) that cause arteries and veins to dilate. The drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The HFSA's inclusion of BiDil in the updated guidelines follows similar support for the treatment by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) in their joint heart-failure guidelines issued in August 2005.

Statistically, black people tend to develop heart failure at an earlier age. Their symptoms also tend to be more severe and to worsen more quickly. In the United States, according to data collected between 2001 and 2004 for a U.S. health and nutrition survey, twice as many African-Americans between the ages of 45 and 64 developed heart failure compared with other Americans in this age range.



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