Effects of trimetazidine on clinical symptoms and tolerance of exercise of patients with syndrome X: a preliminary study.
BACKGROUND
Trimetazidine diminishes angina and improves tolerance of exercise of patients with ischemic heart disease, and has no influence on blood pressure and heart rate.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of trimetazidine on angina symptoms and exercise tolerance in patients with syndrome X.


METHODS
We investigated the effect of trimetazidine on the clinical symptoms and tolerance of exercise of 34 patients (20 women and 14 men, aged 32-60 years) with syndrome X (angina pectoris, positive result of exercise test, and normal coronary angiogram). The exercise test was performed before initiation of oral administration of trimetazidine therapy (20 mg three times a day) and 1 and 6 months thereafter.


RESULTS
We obtained negative results of exercise treadmill tests for four patients (11.76%) after 1 month and five patients (14.71%) after 6 months of trimetazidine treatment. There was also a decrease in the incidence of effort angina after 6 months of treatment (26 patients or 76.47% before treatment versus 13 patients or 38.23% after 6 months of treatment). The drug had no significant influence on the heart rate and blood pressure. The duration for which patients could exercise was significantly prolonged by 1 month (652.9 +/- 206.2 versus 563.4 +/- 190.4 s, P = 0.0047) and 6 months (650.3 +/- 207.8 s, P = 0.0094) of treatment with trimetazidine.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with trimetazidine decreases signs of angina during exercise and improves tolerance of exercise of patients with syndrome X.
Rogacka
D
D
Department of Internal Medicine, University School of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
Guzik
P
P
Wykretowicz
A
A
Rzeźniczak
J
J
Dziarmaga
M
M
Wysocki
H
H
D000328:Adult; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000187:drug effects; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017566:Microvascular Angina / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014292:Trimetazidine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D014292:Trimetazidine