In a nutshell
This paper studied the effects of ivabradine (Coralan) in patients with stable angina.
Some background
Stable angina refers to chest pain on exertion. This can occur because the heart does not receive enough oxygen from blood flow. Atherosclerosis (build-up of substances in the blood vessels) can cause stable angina. Ivabradine is a drug used to treat stable angina, and in patients who cannot receive beta-blockers (another type of drug).
Methods & findings
The current study examined whether ivabradine led to changes in blood vessel functioning.
30 patients with stable angina received ivabradine for 3 months. Function of the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessel, was measured. Endothelial dysfunction leads to worsening disease. The stiffness of the blood vessels (which makes it harder for blood to flow) was also measured.
Following treatment with ivabradine both endothelial function and arterial stiffness significantly improved. The heart rate at rest decreased significantly, from 77 beats per minute at the start of the study to 65 beats per minute.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that ivabradine had a positive effect on endothelial function.
The fine print
There was a small number of patients studied. Results are different from another similar study.
Published By :
Advances in therapy
Date :
Nov 02, 2015
