Effect of low-dose diuretics on the level of serum cystatin C and prognosis in patients with asymptomatic chronic heart failure.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of low-dose diuretics on the serum cystatin C (CysC) and serum creatinine (Scr) levels, and on the prognosis in patients with asymptomatic chronic heart failure (HF). A total of 66 asymptomatic chronic HF patients were divided into the observation and control groups (n=33 in each group). Patients in the control group were treated with a routine treatment, while the patients in the observation group were treated with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide along with the same routine treatment as the control group. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), serum CysC levels, Scr levels, heart function, prognosis, adverse reactions and complications of the patients in the two groups were compared prior to and following treatment. The LVEF increased in the two groups following treatment, while the levels of serum CysC and Scr decreased. The LVEF in the observation group increased following treatment for 1, 3 and 6 months compared with the LVEF values in the control group. In addition, the levels of serum CysC and Scr in the observation group were found to be lower compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse prognosis following treatment for 6 months in the observation group was lower compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). The proportion of HF patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I and II increased following treatment for 6 months in the two groups (P<0.05). However, in the observation group, a higher number of patients exhibited class I and II disease after treatment for 6 months compared with the number in the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, no statistically significant difference was observed between adverse reactions and complications in the two groups (P>0.05). In conclusion, low-dose diuretics may effectively improve the cardiac and renal functions and prognosis in asymptomatic chronic HF patients, without increasing the incidence of side effects.