Popular drug against hypertension associated with the risk of sudden cardiac arrest



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A common medication for blocking the heart in calcium channels has been tentatively associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The research comes from the European Sudden Cardiac Arrest Network (ESCAPE-NET), but further work is needed to determine if the results can be replicated. Medicines containing amlodipine and nifedipine, prescribed to treat hypertension and chest pain called angina pectoris, have been at the heart of the study.

As part of the study, researchers sought to determine whether the two drugs mentioned above were related to cardiac arrest cases outside the hospital setting. Data on these cases were taken from the Dutch Register of Resuscitation Studies in Amsterdam and the Danish Cardiac Arrest Register.

The study examined the most commonly prescribed doses of each drug: 30 mg and 60 mg (and, rarely, 90 mg) of nifedipine and 5 mg and 10 mg of amlodipine. An analysis involving data from both registers was performed, the first involving 2,503 patients and the last out of 8,101 patients. Controls numbered 10,543 and 40,505, respectively.

For nifedipine, the study found a relationship between doses greater than 60 mg daily and out-of-hospital cases of cardiac arrest – the high-dose cases were 'significantly associated' with these drugs. cardiac arrest. The increased risk was compared with the use of amlodipine and the non-use of dihydropyridines.

On the other hand, the study did not reveal any risk associated with taking the amlodipine drug. Hanno Tan, ESCAPE-NET Project Manager, explained:

This study suggests that high dose nifedipine may increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest due to a fatal cardiac arrhythmia, in contrast to amlodipine. If these results are confirmed by other studies, it may be necessary to take them into account when using one or the other medication.

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