title: Drug therapy for chronic heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. II. Diuretics.
abstract: Diuretics (particularly loop diuretics) are usually considered the first-line treatment for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The aldosterone antagonists, spironolactone and eplerenone, which are not unanimously classified as diuretics, have recently been included in therapy for CHF. Diuretics are the only drugs able to reduce fluid retention in CHF, although they are unable to maintain clinical stability for long periods of time when used in isolation. This article reviews the most valid and recent evidence available, based exclusively on large randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews and meta-analyses selected from secondary sources, on the use of diuretics in CHF with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos de Medicina Baseada na Evidência, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fortuna
authors.forename: Inês
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ascenção
authors.forename: António Vaz
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Carneiro
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D004232:Diuretics; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists