Effects of angiotensin II (AT1) receptor blockade on cardiac vagal control in heart failure.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Antihypertensive Agents, published as a randomized controlled trial.

The objective of the present study was to determine the autonomic effects of angiotensin II (AT(1)) receptor blocker therapy in heart failure.

Why It Was Studied

In a randomized double-blind cross-over study, the researchers compared the effects of candesartan and placebo on baroreflex sensitivity and on heart rate variability at rest, during stress and during 24 h monitoring.

Who Took Part

The study group was 21 patients.

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Because people in this Antihypertensive Agents study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Blinding on both sides kept the patients and researchers unaware of who received Antihypertensive Agents.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Antihypertensive Agents could be set against what happens without it.

In the crossover set-up each of the patients took both Antihypertensive Agents and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists, Antihypertensive Agents, Baroreflex, Benzimidazoles, Biphenyl Compounds, Blood Pressure and Heart Failure.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Antihypertensive Agents in 21 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2001 (Clinical science (London, England : 1979)), a journal based in England.

More context: all human trials.