Midazolam is a medicine used to make people feel sleepy or calm before an operation. It’s so powerful that patients usually don’t remember the details of their surgery.
Scientists from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus discovered something curious about midazolam.
They noticed that it might be linked to heart damage, but only when the medicine is given at night. This finding highlights how the time of day we take medicine can affect its impact on our bodies.
The scientists conducted a massive study, analyzing data from over 1.7 million cases where people were given midazolam. Out of those, 16,404 cases showed signs of heart injury.
When the scientists looked closer, they found that the chance of heart damage was higher for surgeries that took place at night, particularly for patients who were generally healthy.
The researchers believe that the problem might be related to the PER2 gene. This gene helps protect the heart from injury and is regulated by light. In studies with mice, scientists found a link between midazolam, the PER2 gene, and heart damage.
Midazolam works by increasing a brain chemical called GABA, which makes us feel calm. However, this also lowers the levels of the PER2 gene at night, making the heart more vulnerable to damage if the medicine is administered during this time.
This finding is important because it could help save lives. Scientists suggest that we need to determine the best times to administer new medicines. For example, medicines for blood pressure often work best when taken at night.
This research was led by Tobias Eckle and published in Frontiers of Cardiovascular Medicine. It’s another amazing example of how scientists are working to keep us safe and healthy.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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