Treatment of Angina Pectoris with Isosorbide-5-Mononitrate

In this multicenter study 191 practitioners treated 532 patients with coronary artery disease and chronic stable angina pectoris by isosorbide-5-mononitrate (IS-5-MN), 20 mg 2–3 times daily. At the end of this period the frequency of anginal attacks was reduced by 83% and nitroglycerm consumption by 85.7% (p < 0.0001). 40.1 % of the patients categorized this treatment as very good, 28.6% as excellent and 23% as good. Serious adverse effects were observed in 2% of the patients and 6.4% of the patients discontinued treatment during the study because of inefficacy, infarction, death, or adverse effects. At the end of the study 90.2% of the patients were still on IS-5-MN. In conclusion, IS-5-MN is an effective treatment for patients with chronic stable angina pectoris. It is well tolerated, with minimal side effects.