A recent study has found that a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure may be linked to an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The drug in question is nifedipine, and researchers suggest that both doctors and patients should be more cautious when using it, especially at high doses.
Sudden cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively. This condition is a major cause of heart-related deaths, accounting for nearly half of all cardiac deaths in Europe and one in five natural deaths overall.
Symptoms include sudden loss of consciousness and difficulty breathing. If treatment is not given within minutes, it can be fatal. Some patients may experience warning signs before cardiac arrest, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea.
In this study, researchers examined whether two commonly prescribed drugs—nifedipine and amlodipine—could be linked to sudden cardiac arrest. They analyzed data from 2,503 patients who had experienced sudden cardiac arrest and compared them to 10,543 healthy individuals from the Dutch Amsterdam Resuscitation Studies registry.
Their findings showed that people taking a high dose of nifedipine (60 mg per day) had a greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest. However, no such link was found with amlodipine, another drug used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain.
To confirm their results, the researchers looked at additional data from 8,101 patients and 40,505 healthy individuals in the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry. This second analysis supported their initial findings—high-dose nifedipine was associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
These findings are surprising because both nifedipine and amlodipine have been used for many years without raising concerns. One reason previous studies may have missed this connection is that sudden cardiac arrest is difficult to study due to how quickly it occurs.
While these results suggest a potential risk, researchers caution that more studies are needed to confirm the findings before any major changes are made to treatment guidelines. Patients taking nifedipine should not stop their medication without consulting their doctor, but it may be worth discussing alternative options with a healthcare professional.
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 health information, 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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