This reference treatment can have “harmful effects”, especially in women.
It is one of the most prescribed drugs in the world to protect the heart. However, a new international study shows that this reference treatment could be useless in some cases, or even bad for the heart. “If we often test new drugs, it is much rarer to rigorously question the necessity of the ancients” explains Dr. Borja Ibàñez, co-author of the study conducted in Spain and Italy.
With his team, he followed 8,438 patients for almost four years. All had had a myocardial infarction but kept an intact heart function. Half has received the treatment, the other not. The researchers compared the occurrence of three serious events: death, new infarction and hospitalization for heart failure. Their results show that taking medication does not provide patients with patients. A sub-study argues that its effects differ between men and women.
In men, taking beta -blockers – the famous type of medication given for decades after a heart attack – has not had a significant impact on their heart health. On the other hand, in women, “Betabloquant treatment has been associated with harmful effects, in particular those which received higher doses” report scientists in the European Heart Journal. According to their observations, around 1 in 100 more women each year, treated by beta -blockers after a heart attack, was affected by one of the three serious events analyzed. Betabloquents would therefore not be beneficial to women who have made a infarction with a preserved heart function. In France, the most prescribed are bisoprolol (Cardensiel®), Carvedilol (Kredex®) and metoprolol (Sélectol®, Lopressor®).
For Dr. Ibáñez, these conclusions will “revolutionize clinical practices worldwide”. For a long time, beta -blockers were recommended to almost all patients after a infarction to limit recurrences and complications. The first major studies, such as the Bhat (Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial, Jama 1982), showed a clear benefit in terms of survival. Today, with the progress of care (angioplasty, installation of stents, statins, anti -platiards), their utility is more and more discussed. “In this new context, the need for beta -blockers is uncertain” estimates the doctor. “These results could reduce side effects and improve the quality of life of thousands of patients.”
