Effect of the partial beta-agonist prenalterol on plasma renin activity in patients with left ventricular failure.

Beta agonist therapy for heart failure has been disappointing, perhaps because of renin induced aldosteronism. To investigate this possibility we measured plasma renin activity (PRA) in 23 patients (17 male, 6 female, age 41-70) with New York Heart Association stage III heart failure due to ischaemic heart disease in a placebo controlled trial over one month. All patients received constant doses of digoxin and diuretics throughout the trial. Compliance was confirmed in all patients by digoxin and prenalterol assay. In a preliminary (dose titration) study of 9 patients there was a progressive, but non-significant rise of mean PRA from 14.8 to 17.6 and 27.7 ng/ml per h with doses of 20, 50 and 100 mg of prenalterol, respectively. After one month of treatment with prenalterol (n = 11), PRA was 12.8 +/- 2.4 (SEM) ng/ml per h which was not significantly different from the initial level of 14.4 +/- 2.3 ng/ml per h (n.s.). The placebo group (n = 12) results were 13.8 +/- 4.2 ng/ml per h at entry and 14.4 +/- 5.2 ng/ml per h at one month (n.s.). These results indicate that PRA is elevated by acute treatment with the partial beta agonist prenalterol but stimulation of renin secretion does not appear to occur with chronic therapy.