They performed one further consistency analysis to affirm their findings, and found a dose-response relationship: the greater the use of RAS antagonists, the greater the reduction in mortality.
Taken together, these findings suggest that RAS antagonists may be beneficial for patients who have HF with preserved ejection fraction, "but this should be confirmed in an appropriately powered randomized trial," they added.
Dr. Hernandez’s study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; he reported ties to Amylin Pharmaceutical, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Corthera, and Sanofi-Aventis, and his associates reported ties to numerous industry sources.
Dr. Lund’s study was funded by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, the Swedish Society of Cardiology, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, and Astra-Zeneca; he reported ties to AstraZeneca, Thoratec, and HeartWare.