Can a common blood pressure drug better protect hearts in obesity?

NCT ID NCT04519164

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This completed study tested whether eplerenone, a drug that blocks a hormone called aldosterone, improves blood flow and reduces scarring in the heart more than another drug, chlorthalidone, in 79 people with obesity and high blood pressure. Participants took one of the two drugs, and researchers used heart MRIs to measure changes. The goal was to see if eplerenone offers extra heart protection beyond just lowering blood pressure.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Eplerenone (a blood pressure drug) and chlorthalidone with potassium chloride (another blood pressure drug)
What this could lead to: If eplerenone works better, it could point to a more targeted way to protect the heart in people with obesity and high blood pressure.
What could go wrong: This is a small, completed Phase 4 trial with only 79 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drugs have known side effects like electrolyte imbalances.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for HYPERTENSION are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

abdominal obesity-metabolic syndrome hypertensive disorder metabolic syndrome X Obesity obesity disorder Overweight

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

HYPERTENSION METABOLIC SYNDROME OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

Contacts and locations

Locations

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.