Publications by authors named "John Kachope"
Objectives: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the therapeutic value of initiating a beta-blocker before an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) in the treatment of heart failure.
Background: Although ACEI and carvedilol produce benefits in heart failure, whether the order of initiation of therapy determines the impact on left ventricular (LV) function and New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA FC) has not been determined.
Methods: A single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label study was performed.
Subsequent pregnancy in 6 patients with previous peripartum cardiomyopathy resulted in reduction of ejection fraction by >10% in 5 patients at 1 month postpartum. Two patients with impaired ejection fraction at onset of subsequent pregnancy died 3 months postpartum due to heart failure despite optimal medical therapy. Deterioration of left ventricular function occurred uniformly postpartum and was accompanied by elevation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha plasma levels from 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the treatment of hypertension in subjects of African origins, although hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is not as effective as calcium channel blockers, indapamide is superior to HCTZ. In the present study we therefore compared the effects of slow release (SR) indapamide with the calcium channel blocker amlodipine, when used as initial therapy, on blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular mass (LVM) during 6 months of treatment in this group.
Methods: Patients with a mean daytime ambulatory diastolic BP > or =90 mm Hg and < or =110 mm Hg (n = 125, aged 53 +/- 11 years, 68% women) were randomized to receive open-label 1.