This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Hennekens, C. H. Articles by Swedberg, K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hennekens, C. H. Articles by Swedberg, K. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Medline Plus Health Information Heart Failure Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The CHARM Program: Study Design Leads to Findings of Clinical and Public Health Importance

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida

Marc A. Pfeffer, MD

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, mpfeffer{at}rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Karl Swedberg, MD

Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra, Göteborg, Sweden

In large-scale randomized trials and their meta-analyses, beta-adrenergic blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors provide statistically significant and clinically important additive mortality and morbidity benefits in the treatment of heart failure. The CHARM trials were designed to test whether the angiotensin-receptor blocker candesartan would provide statistically significant and clinically important additive mortality and morbidity benefits to patients with heart failure as an alternative or in addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. CHARM demonstrated that an angiotensin-receptor blocker at a proven dose is an effective and safe therapy as an alternative or in addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with heart failure, 55% of whom were receiving beta-adrenergic blockers. These benefits include reductions in cardiovascular mortality rate as well as in hospitalization for heart failure. Such patients have a 50% mortality rate at 5 years, and heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization for patients 65 years of age and older.

Key Words: angiotensin-receptor blockers • heart failure

Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 12, No. 2, 124-126 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1074248407301131


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?