Losartan slows rate of enlargement of aorta in Marfan syndrome

In Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, the main artery which carries blood away from the heart, the aorta, is weak and fragile. Over time it enlarges, and it can tear or burst (called aortic dissection) if left untreated.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine gave 18 children with Marfan's syndrome a type of blood pressure medication. Cozaar (losartan) was given to 17 of the children and Avapro (irbesartan) was given to one child. The researchers found that in this study, the medications significantly slowed the rate of enlargement of the aorta.

This small study is encouraging but more research needs to be done to confirm the results. A large, multicenter clinical trial of losartan for Marfan syndrome has been launched by the Pediatric Heart Network of the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Brooke, Benjamin S., Jennifer P. Habashi, Daniel P. Judge, Nishant Patel, Bart Loeys, & Harry C. Dietz, III. "Angiotensin II Blockade and Aortic-Root Dilation in Marfan's Syndrome." The New England Journal of Medicine 358(2008): 2787-2795.

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