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CLINICAL STUDIES

Low-dose dipyridamole infusion acutely increases exercise capacity in angina pectoris

A double-blind, placebo controlled crossover stress echocardiographic study

^a Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Cardiology Unit, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
^b Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy

Manuscript received July 31, 1998; revised manuscript received July 29, 1999, accepted October 5, 1999.

Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Erberto Carluccio, Via dell’Allodola, 1, 06100 Ponte S. Giovanni, Perugia, Italy

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess whether endogenous accumulation of adenosine, induced by low-dose dipyridamole infusion, protects from exercise-induced ischemia.

BACKGROUND

Adenosine is a recognized mediator of ischemic preconditioning in experimental settings.

METHODS

Ten patients (all men: mean age 63.4 ± 7.3 years) with chronic stable angina, angiographically assessed coronary artery disease (n = 7) or previous myocardial infarction (n = 3) and exercise-induced ischemia underwent on different days two exercise-stress echo tests after premedication with placebo or dipyridamole (15 mg in 30 min, stopped 5 min before testing) in a double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized crossover design.

RESULTS

In comparison with placebo, dipyridamole less frequently induced chest pain (20% vs. 100%, p = 0.001) and >0.1 mV ST segment depression (50% vs. 100%, p < 0.05). Wall motion abnormalities during exercise-stress test were less frequent (placebo = 100% vs. dipyridamole = 70%, p = ns) and significantly less severe (wall motion score index at peak stress: placebo = 1.55 ± 0.17 vs. dipyridamole = 1.27 ± 0.2, p < 0.01) following dipyridamole, which also determined an increase in exercise time up to echocardiographic positivity (placebo = 385.9 ± 51.4 vs. dipyridamole = 594.4 ± 156.9 s, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose dipyridamole infusion increases exercise tolerance in chronic stable angina, possibly by endogenous adenosine accumulation acting on high affinity A1 myocardial receptors involved in preconditioning or positively modulating coronary flow through collaterals.

Abbreviations and Acronyms   CAD = coronary artery disease   MI = myocardial infarction   WMSI = wall motion score index

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