Indian
Medical Council IMA has said that there is a need to be aware during prescribing
antibiotics as it can hurt the heart patients.
It
has been said that certain antibiotics may increase the risk of heart attack in
people with underlying heart disease such as arrhythmias, structural changes to
the heart, or heart damage from a previous heart attack.On the occassion of World Health Day 2020 we should think about the issue
A
research published in the New England Journal of Medicine studied more than a
million cases of antibiotic-treated patients in 2012, and discovered that
patients taking azithromycin for five days were three times more likely to
suffer a fatal cardiovascular event, compared with patients who took no
antibiotics. Azithromycin also appeared to cause irregular heartbeats in some
patients. Similarly, erythromycin and clarithromycin were found to be linked to
an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
Another
study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology analyzed
33 studies involving more than 20 million patients between 1966 and 2015.
Researchers compared patients treated with macrolides to similar patients
treated with other antibiotics or patients who did not receive antibiotic
therapy. This time researchers examined each macrolide separately:
azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin. In this analysis, researchers
found that each antibiotic was linked to an increased risk of sudden cardiac
death or ventricular tachyarrhythmia.
On
March 3, 2013, the FDA made a follow-up announcement with a warning to the
public that azithromycin can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity
of the heart, which may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm.
Under
adverse reactions listed in the FDA drug label, erythromycin has been
associated with a risk factor for sudden death and abnormal heart rhythms
including rapid heartbeat.
Clarithromycin
is not only associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death, but also
with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. The FDA drug label indicates
clarithromycin is associated with prolongation of the QT interval.
Speaking
about the same, Dr SS Agarwal – National President IMA & Padma Shri Awardee
Dr KK Aggarwal – Honorary Secretary General IMA said, “Prolonged research has
indicated that overuse and misuse of antibiotics can cause disease resistance
as well as increase one’s chances of heart attacks and other life-threatening
ailments. Given this fact, we have been constantly educating all over 2.5 lakh
members on the importance of prescribing antibiotics after carefully weighing
the pros and cons and the need for the same. Unless there are compelling
reasons to start immediately, it is recommended that doctors wait for test
results or to see how symptoms develop.”
Recently,
the World Health Organization also issued an advisory about the current
practice of indiscriminate use of antibiotics is increasingly leading to
resistance to medicines, persistence of infections and treatment failure.
According
to their statement, immediate action is needed to stop the world from heading
towards a pre-antibiotic era in which all achievements made in prevention and
control of communicable diseases will be reversed.
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