Adverse drug effects across patients with heart failure: a systematic review

To summarize published literature on the incidence of adverse drug effects (ADEs) associated with guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).Systematic literature review.A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Clinical Key covering January 1990 to December 2018. Key search terms were ADEs for β-blockers (BBs), ACE inhibitors (ACEis), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), and/or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNis) in adult patients (≥ 18 years) with HFrEF.A total of 279 eligible articles were identified, of which 29 reported drug-related adverse effects and were included in this review. Of the 29 studies, 11 examined BBs; 9, MRAs; 6, ARNis; 2, ACEis; and 1, ARBs. The most common reported ADEs across these therapeutic classes included bradycardia, dizziness, hypotension, hyperkalemia, cough, and renal impairment. The incidence of BB-induced bradycardia was 1% to 52% based on 9 studies, and 6 studies described dizziness as a result of BBs and ARNis (15%-43%). Fourteen studies reported induced hypotension (1.4%-63%); 13 studies, hyperkalemia (0.6%-30.2%); 3 studies, cough (37%-50%); and 4 studies, renal impairment (0.6%-7.6%).Findings show that drug-related adverse effects are commonly reported in clinical trials and highlight the sizable burden of ADEs with medical therapy across patients with HFrEF. Additional real-world evidence and studies aiming to improve the tolerability of GDMT for patients with HFrEF are warranted.