The Effect of Trimetazidine in the Treatment of Microvascular Angina

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Microvascular angina pathophysiology is not fully understood, but intracellular metabolic changes are implicated.
• Trimetazidine is known to affect intracellular metabolism in coronary insufficiency.
• The efficacy of trimetazidine in microvascular angina remains to be determined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of trimetazidine in patients diagnosed with microvascular angina.
• To compare trimetazidine's efficacy against a placebo in a double-blind study.

Main Methods:

• A placebo-controlled, double-blind study was conducted over two 4-week periods.
• Thirty-five patients with microvascular angina received either trimetazidine (60 mg daily) or a placebo.
• Symptom-limited exercise testing (Bruce protocol) was used for patient assessment.

Main Results:

• Trimetazidine significantly prolonged total exercise time and the time to 1 mm ST segment depression compared to placebo.
• Maximum ST depression was reduced in the trimetazidine group.
• No significant differences were observed in heart rate or systolic blood pressure between groups.

Conclusions:

• Trimetazidine demonstrates a beneficial effect in managing microvascular angina.
• The drug improves exercise capacity and reduces ischemic indicators in these patients.