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Widely prescribed drugs recommended as
therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with an
increased risk of heart attack, stroke and even death from heart disease, according
to a new study, published in the September 24 issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association.
Inhaler drugs, such as Spiriva and
Atrovent, are used to relax muscles and open lung airways in patients with
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease characterized by emphysema and
chronic bronchitis, which obstructs airflow to the lungs. Its symptoms include
restricted breathing, secretion of mucus, oxidative stress and inflammation of
the airway.
Spiriva is used by more than 8 million patients
globally since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002. The
second most commonly prescribed drug in this class is ipratropium bromide
(Atrovent).
In a new study, Dr. Dr. Sonal Singh,
assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake
Forest University
Baptist Medical
Center in Winston-Salem, N.C, and colleagues conducted
a meta-analysis of available studies on inhaled anticholinergic drugs that had
been used for the treatment of COPD for at least 30 days. There were 17 studies
involving almost 15,000 patients that were followed for six weeks to five years.
“We found a 58 percent increased risk of
cardiac death, heart attack or stroke” in people using these inhalers,
the researchers said. The researchers found an 80 percent increased risk of
cardiovascular death. For every 40 people who got one of the drugs in a year,
there was one extra death, says co-author Curt Furberg, a Wake Forest
University
epidemiologist.
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