Diabetes medications may increase the risk of heart failure

Two drugs commonly used for type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of heart failure by twice. That was the result of a large study conducted by British experts for 78,000 patients. These two common drugs are Rosiglitazone (trade name Avandia) and Pioglitazone (Actos).

According to experts from the University of East Anglia (UK) and colleagues in the US, the fluid retention effect of Avandia and Actos may cause heart failure. Writing in Diabetes Care magazine, the team called on drug managers to review the safety of these two drugs.

Drugs Actos (Pioglitazone) - together with Avandia - are being assessed by MHRA and EMEA about cardiovascular health benefits and risks.(Photo: Pjonline.com)

However, they do not recommend that patients stop using these two drugs, but only recommend that patients consult their doctor immediately when there are abnormal cardiovascular signs. According to the latest results in this study, 1 in 50 people who take these drugs for 26 months need to be hospitalized for heart failure, or 2% of the 78,000 patients monitored.

According to Dr Yoon Loke, who led the study, the ratio is small, but if you consider a total of 500,000 people using these two drugs in the UK, at least 5,000 cases of heart failure may occur every year.

After studying medical records of 200 patients with diabetes-related heart failure, experts found that heart failure symptoms still occur even when patients take low-dose diabetes medications. Although heart failure is often thought to be the disease of older people, the team found that about 25% of cases belong to patients under 60 years of age.

Dr Loke said: 'That means that antidiabetic drugs may have caused thousands of heart failure cases, creating a major burden for the National Health Services (NHS) system. overloaded '.

According to another study published earlier this year, Rosiglitazone has also been found to be linked to heart disease.

The manufacturer's instruction sheet indicates that Rosiglitazone and Pioglitazone should not be used for patients with heart disease. But according to the team, after a period of taking these drugs, heart disease still arises in people who have never had a history of heart disease.

Dr Loke emphasized: 'Most patients in this study did not have heart disease before starting treatment with the above drugs. It seems that no group of patients can avoid those dangerous side effects. '

Avandia (Rosiglitazone), one of two drugs is believed to double the risk of heart failure.(Photo: Telegraph)

Matt Hunt, Director of Scientific Information for Britain's Diabetes Foundation (charity Diabetes UK), said these drugs have been recommended by the Health and Pharmaceutical Products Control Agency (MHRA). Used as an effective therapy for type 2 diabetes.

He said: 'Of course, the MHRA needs to pay attention to the evidence provided by this research. Both MHRA and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said they are appraising the benefits and risks that two drugs Avandia and Actos produce for cardiovascular health. ' This evaluation will be completed by the end of this year.

A spokesman for the National Institutes of Health (NICE), the agency that oversees drug use, said: 'If EMEA determines that the benefits of these two drugs are not as much as the harms. they cause, they will give doctors a recommendation about their use. That recommendation will be prioritized against the current NICE guidelines.

Meanwhile, responding to the results of the study, GlaxoSmithKline, a manufacturer of Avandia, said: 'The risk of heart failure of this drug for diabetics is the same as for others. know well and have been shown clearly in the instructions for appointing medications to be sent to doctors in the UK '.

Quang Thinh