Abstract
The present study aimed to determine whether quality of life (QOL) in permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) patients would be improved by monotherapy with beta-blocker (BB) or calcium antagonist (CAA) as compared with digitalis. Twenty-nine patients with permanent AF under digitalis were randomized into BB (bisoprolol, atenolol or metoprolol) or CAA (verapamil) monotherapy treatment group. Twenty-five were men and the mean age was 67+/-8 years. After the assigned monotherapy, 12 patients received the other monotherapy in a cross-over fashion. Under each treatment, efficacy of rate control was determined by Holter electrocardiogram (ECG), treadmill testing and QOL questionnaire (Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Quality of Life of Atrial Fibrillation (AFQLQ)), and compared with the baseline digitalis treatment. CAA significantly increased mean and minimum heart rate (HR) in Holter ECG as compared with digitalis, whereas BB increased only minimum HR. Exercise duration in treadmill testing was significantly prolonged by CAA treatment, although it only tended to be prolonged by BB treatment. CAA but not BB improved role function-physical score of SF-36, and frequency and severity of symptoms of AFQLQ. These results indicate that CAA is preferable to digitalis when monotherapy is selected for short-term improvement of QOL and exercise tolerance in patients with permanent AF.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.