Lung Drugs Might Be Taking Toll On The Heart

In a newest kind of a study, experts have found that commonly used medicines for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD endangers the life of the patient by drastically increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and even, death from heart disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is the fourth-leading killer in the USA. Thus, the findings indicate that a large number of people can loss their lives if they continue taking the commonly used first-line medicines for COPD.

COPD is a disease that afflicts lungs and makes the airways narrower. It includes two incurable lung ailments, chronic bronchitis and emphysema and frequently, patients have both types which further emulates the condition.

COPD is caused due to excessive smoking which in turn triggers atypical inflammatory responses in lungs.

Tiotropium or ipratropium drug is commonly used to treat COPD. Tiotropium- also known by the brand name Spiriva, Ipratropium- also known by the brand name Atrovent and called Combivent- if Ipratropium is in combination with another drug.

A German company that markets Spiriva with Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim confirmed that they manufacture Combivent and Atrovent also. The company also stated that in 2007 their sales rose by 35% at a global level.

In the current study, experts conducted 17 clinical trials in which they observed 14,783 patients (for six weeks to five years) on whom the effects of the drugs tiotropium or ipratropium were examined and compared with other treatments available for COPD.

In the findings it was seen that 1.8% of patients who were administered tiotropium or ipratropium died of cardiovascular disease or suffered a non-fatal heart attack or stroke. On contrary, out of those who were on other treatments only 1.2% of patients suffered such fatal after effects.

This statistically significant difference is suggestive of the deadly consequences of having tiotropium or ipratropium as experts found that the drug consumption led to 53% augmented risk of heart attack and the 80% increased risk of cardiovascular death.

According to co-author Curt Furberg, a Wake Forest University epidemiologist, for every 40 patients who were administered the drug in the time span of a year; there was one more death than the estimated number. He added, "It's a big drug, so it's affecting a large number of people."

The findings of the study were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.