A patient suffering from heart failure, a condition that affects one in every 100 people, means that the heart cannot pump enough blood to keep up with the needs of the body, according to the Merck Manual. Heart failure can result from conditions that affect the ability of the heart muscle to contract, known as systolic heart failure, or conditions that affect the ability of the heart to expand upon relaxation, known as diastolic heart failure. Treatment of diastolic heart failure focuses on normalizing blood pressure, reducing the strain on the heart and promoting normal heart rhythm.
Beta Blockers
Beta-blocking adrenergic drugs, called beta blockers for short, consist of a group of medications that inhibit the hormone adrenaline from binding to the beta receptors in the heart, according to the Texas Heart Institute. Since adrenaline increases the heart rate, making the heart work harder, blocking this hormone slows the nerve impulses travelling through the heart.
The Merck Manual reports the most common cause of diastolic heart failure as high blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure causes the lower left chamber of the heart, the left ventricle, to pump harder, which results in hypertrophy---thickening of the heart wall. As the left ventricle wall thickens, it cannot expand to draw blood in, resulting in diastolic dysfunction.
Beta blockers decrease blood pressure, which reduces the stress on the left ventricle and helps to slow the progression of hypertrophy. In addition, decreasing the heart rate gives the heart more time to relax to allow the ventricles to fill with blood.
Diuretics
Diuretic medications, also known as water pills, induce the kidneys to increase urine output in order to eliminate excess salt and water. Eliminating excess water decreases the volume of blood, which helps to decrease blood pressure. Decreasing blood pressure helps to decrease the strain on the left ventricle of the heart.
Diastolic heart failure can cause blood to back up into the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary edema. Diuretic medications can help to decrease the congestion in the lungs, therefore relieving symptoms such as shortness of breath.
Care should be taken when treating diastolic heart failure with diuretic medications, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Reducing the blood volume too much can decrease the amount of blood available to enter the left ventricle, thereby worsening the diastolic heart failure.
ACE Inhibitors
Angiotensin-converting enzyme converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II---a neurohormone that constricts blood vessels, increases blood pressure and promotes fluid retention. A group of medications known as angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE, inhibitors block the enzyme from working therefore reducing the level of angiotensin II.
ACE inhibitors allow blood vessels to relax, thereby lowering blood pressure. ACE inhibitors also reduce the volume of blood in the body and help treat the congestion caused by the diastolic heart failure.
