title: Autonomic effects of spironolactone and MR blockers in heart failure.
abstract: Neurohormonal dysfunction is an important and potentially modifiable part of the disease process of heart failure. In this review we will discuss the ways in which the autonomic system is deranged in congestive cardiac failure and the different ways we have of monitoring these abnormalities i.e.: heart rate variability, plasma norephinephrine activity, MIBG scanning, heart rate turbulence, baroreceptor function and briefly, microneurographic techniques and QT interval analysis. We will then discuss the direct effects of aldosterone and of aldosterone blockade on some of these parameters. We conclude that neurohormonal dysfunction is an important component of chronic heart failure, which is affected by aldosterone and can be modified by the use of aldosterone receptor blockade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Division of Medicine, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 9SY. j.i.davies@dundee.ac.uk
authors.forename: Justine I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Miles D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Witham
authors.forename: Allan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Struthers
mesh_terms: D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D004232:Diuretics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism; D013148:Spironolactone / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004232:Diuretics; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid; D013148:Spironolactone; D000450:Aldosterone