Efficacy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in reducing progression from asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction to symptomatic heart failure in black and white patients.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine whether enalapril had comparable efficacy in black and white patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction (ALVD) in preventing the development of symptomatic heart failure (HF).

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that black patients with HF due to systolic dysfunction may derive less benefit than white patients with HF when treated with the same medication.

METHODS: This is a post hoc analysis of the 4,054 black and white participants of the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction Prevention Trial.

RESULTS: Randomization to enalapril was associated with a comparable reduction in the relative risk of the development of symptomatic HF in black (relative risk [RR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49, 0.92, p = 0.01) and white patients (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.53, 0.70, p < 0.001). Treatment with enalapril was also associated with a comparable reduction in the risk of the development of HF requiring medical therapy and the composite end point of death or development of HF in black and white patients. Black as compared with white patients with ALVD were at increased risk of the development of symptomatic HF (RR 1.81, 95% CI 1.51, 2.17, p < 0.001) despite adjustment for available measures of disease severity.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increased absolute risk in black patients compared with white patients for the progression of ALVD, enalapril was equally efficacious in reducing the risk of progression of ALVD in these two ethnic groups.