Research Progress on the Efficacy and Safety of Spironolactone in Reversing Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Hemodialysis Patients

Retrospective study on the short-term efficacy of different doses of Spironolactone in patients with heart failure of ischemic cardiomyopath and the influence of ventricular remodeling markers

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of varying dosages of Spironolactone on the short-term effectiveness and ventricular remodeling indicators in patients with Heart Failure of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy (HFIC).

METHODS

A cohort of 141 HFIC patients, admitted to our hospital between October 2018 and February 2023, were enrolled for this study. Alongside the standard treatment for Chronic Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), these patients were randomly assigned to either a low-dose (20 mg/d, N=70) or a high-dose (60 mg/d, N=71) Spironolactone group. After four weeks, various parameters were assessed and compared within each group before and after the treatment. These parameters included echocardiographic indices (LVEF, LVESD, LVEDD, LVESV, and LVEDV), New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, ventricular remodeling markers (hs-CRP, TNF-α, NT-pro BNP, Gal-3, MMP-9, and TIMP-4), and the Six Minute Walk Distance (6MWD).

RESULTS

Both low-dose and high-dose Spironolactone significantly improved LVEF and 6MWD in HFIC patients (P<0.05), as well as markedly reduced LVESD, LVEDD, LVESV, LVEDV, and NYHA cardiac function grades (P<0.05). The high-dose group exhibited the most pronounced improvements (P<0.05). High-dose Spironolactone was more effective in improving the clinical and total effective rate compared to the low-dose, significantly reducing treatment inefficacy (P<0.05). Both dosages significantly increased serum potassium levels within normal ranges. They also improved the expression of ventricular remodeling markers (hs-CRP, TNF-α, NT-pro BNP, Gal-3, MMP-9, and TIMP-4) in HFIC patients, with the high-dose group showing the most significant results (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

High-dose Spironolactone (60 mg/d) demonstrates superior efficacy over the low-dose (20 mg/d) in rapidly diminishing ventricular remodeling damage and enhancing cardiac function and clinical symptoms in HFIC patients over a short duration.

Overview of research progress on the association of dietary potassium intake with serum potassium and survival in hemodialysis patients, does dietary potassium restriction really benefit hemodialysis patients?

For the general population, increasing potassium intake can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, since hyperkalemia is a common and life-threatening complication in maintenance hemodialysis patients, which can increase the risk of malignant arrhythmia and sudden death, the current mainstream of management for hemodialysis patients is dietary potassium restriction in order to prevent hyperkalemia. Hemodialysis patients are usually advised to reduce dietary potassium intake and limit potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, but there is limited evidence to support this approach can reduce mortality and improve quality of life. There is still no consistent conclusion on the association between dietary potassium intake and serum potassium and survival in hemodialysis patients. According to the current small observational studies, there was little or even no association between dietary potassium intake and serum potassium in hemodialysis patients when assurance of adequate dialysis and specific dietary patterns (such as the plant-based diet mentioned in the article) are being followed, and excessive dietary potassium restriction may not benefit the survival of hemodialysis patients. Additionally, when assessing the effect of diet on serum potassium, researchers should not only focus on the potassium content of foods, but also consider the type of food and the content of other nutrients. However, more large-scale, multi-center clinical trials are required to provide high-quality evidence support. Besides, further research is also needed to determine the optimal daily potassium intake and beneficial dietary patterns for hemodialysis patients.