Colchicine in HFpEF

Heart failure is a growing epidemic that affects up to 500,000 individuals in Canada, with 50,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. Half of these will have HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF has been associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditures. Its pathophysiology remains poorly understood, and positive medication trial results to date have been rare. Inflammation is strongly associated with a profibrotic activation in HFpEF, which is in turn associated with the severity and prognosis of the disease. Colchicine is a potent anti-inflammatory drug which properties relate to the suppression of tubulin polymerization and inflammasome inhibition, thus reducing the production of IL-1β and IL-18. The investigators thus propose a pilot study of 6 months follow-up duration that will test the efficacy and safety of 2 dosing regimens of colchicine (vs. placebo) in patients with HFpEF.