- Avandia and Actos can cause Heart Failure
- Posted by Peanutjake
Heart Failure Risk With Thiazolidinediones Quantified
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 07 - Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are thought to raise the risk of heart
failure in patients with type 2 diabetes and such drugs should be used with caution when symptoms of
failure are present. Now, new research reveals that the risk of heart failure is increased by about
70% when such drugs are used.
"The makers of Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone) both include information in their
package inserts that the drugs may lead to or worsen heart failure," lead author Thomas E. Delea,
from Policy Analysis in Brookline, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health.
"However, our study is really the first to look at the magnitude of the risk," Delea noted. "The
evidence from clinical trials is really based on small numbers of patients. Also, this evidence is
based principally on patients who were receiving insulin concomitantly with TZDs."
The new findings, which are reported in the November issue of Diabetes Care, are based on a
retrospective study of 33,544 type 2 diabetics who were treated with an oral hypoglycemic agent
between 1995 and 2001. The subjects included 5441 patients treated with a TZD and 28,103 who did not
receive such drugs.
Besides the hypoglycemic agent used, there were many differences between the TZD patients and
controls. For example, although TZD patients were younger than controls, they had more comorbidities
and were more likely to receive a variety of drug types including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and
insulin.
Still, even after accounting for all these differences, TZD use was tied to a 70% increased risk of
heart failure (p < 0.001), the authors note. The incidence of heart failure in the TZD and control
groups after 40 months of follow-up was 8.8% and 5.5%, respectively.
"Our findings support the warnings in the TZD package inserts, but, perhaps they [also] give
clinicians a better idea of the risk," Delea said. The message for clinicians "is that these drugs
shouldn't be prescribed to patients with heart failure and when given to other patients a dose
adjustment may be needed if symptoms of failure occur."
Diabetes Care 2003;26:2983-2989.
- Posted by Peanutjake
Heart Failure Risk With Thiazolidinediones Quantified
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 07 - Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are thought to raise the risk of heart
failure in patients with type 2 diabetes and such drugs should be used with caution when symptoms of
failure are present. Now, new research reveals that the risk of heart failure is increased by about
70% when such drugs are used.
"The makers of Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone) both include information in their
package inserts that the drugs may lead to or worsen heart failure," lead author Thomas E. Delea,
from Policy Analysis in Brookline, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health.
"However, our study is really the first to look at the magnitude of the risk," Delea noted. "The
evidence from clinical trials is really based on small numbers of patients. Also, this evidence is
based principally on patients who were receiving insulin concomitantly with TZDs."
The new findings, which are reported in the November issue of Diabetes Care, are based on a
retrospective study of 33,544 type 2 diabetics who were treated with an oral hypoglycemic agent
between 1995 and 2001. The subjects included 5441 patients treated with a TZD and 28,103 who did not
receive such drugs.
Besides the hypoglycemic agent used, there were many differences between the TZD patients and
controls. For example, although TZD patients were younger than controls, they had more comorbidities
and were more likely to receive a variety of drug types including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and
insulin.
Still, even after accounting for all these differences, TZD use was tied to a 70% increased risk of
heart failure (p < 0.001), the authors note. The incidence of heart failure in the TZD and control
groups after 40 months of follow-up was 8.8% and 5.5%, respectively.
"Our findings support the warnings in the TZD package inserts, but, perhaps they [also] give
clinicians a better idea of the risk," Delea said. The message for clinicians "is that these drugs
shouldn't be prescribed to patients with heart failure and when given to other patients a dose
adjustment may be needed if symptoms of failure occur."
Diabetes Care 2003;26:2983-2989.
- Posted by Annette
"Peanutjake" <peanutjakeNO@usa.com> wrote in message
news:bpgulp$1okg71$2@ID-134303.news.uni-berlin.de...
Thanks for this update on the possible side effects that can be
associated with the use of this class of oral meds.
For those who are on them, and wondering about whether they may be
at risk, two important symptoms of adverse reaction are;
1. Unexplained weight gain that is not lessened by reduction of
calories or limited carb intake etc.
2. Edema - "Puffyness" or swelling in the extremities, caused by the
accumulation of water in the tissues.
Take care,
Annette
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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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- Posted by Annette
"Peanutjake" <peanutjakeNO@usa.com> wrote in message
news:bpgulp$1okg71$2@ID-134303.news.uni-berlin.de...
Thanks for this update on the possible side effects that can be
associated with the use of this class of oral meds.
For those who are on them, and wondering about whether they may be
at risk, two important symptoms of adverse reaction are;
1. Unexplained weight gain that is not lessened by reduction of
calories or limited carb intake etc.
2. Edema - "Puffyness" or swelling in the extremities, caused by the
accumulation of water in the tissues.
Take care,
Annette
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.542 / Virus Database: 336 - Release Date: 19/11/03
