Certain diabetes drugs 'double heart failure risk'
29 Aug 2008, 1457 Hrs

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Washington, Aug 29 (ANI): A certain class of oral drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes can double the risk of heart failure in patients, warn a group of group of researchers led by an Indian origin researcher.

Sonal Singh, assistant professor of internal medicine, and Curt D. Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., professor of public health sciences, from Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty members have said that thiazolidinediones can exacerbate heart attack risk.

Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone are the two major thiazolidinediones given to control diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels. "We strongly recommend restrictions in the use of thiazolidinediones (the class of drugs) and question the rationale for leaving rosiglitazone on the market," wrote experts.

"At this time, justification for use of thiazolidinediones is very weak to non-existent," they added.

Singh and Furberg said that diabetics have high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which "further compound their already increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease."

Heart disease and high blood pressure "represent conditions that are major precursors of congestive heart failure."

An analysis of four long-term trials, using rosiglitazone, showed that it doubled heart failure risk among the diabetes patients.

They said that results from three large randomized clinical trials earlier failed to demonstrate that intensive control of blood sugar reduces mortality or events from cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. (ANI)