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Do Sulphonylurea Drugs Cause Heart Attack?
In the June issue of Diabetologia: the Journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, researchers argued whether sulphonylurea drugs (such as Micronase, Glucotrol, DiaBeta, Glynase, Amaryl and Diabinese) pose an increased cardiovascular risk for individuals with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. (Sulphonylurea drugs are prescribed to help stimulate the beta cells of individuals with type 2 diabetes; it may also increase the sensitivity of muscle tissue to the hormone.)
In a letter to the editor, P. Fasching, MD, of the Department of Internal Medicine from Vienna, Austria, dismissed earlier claims made by University of Dusseldorf researchers, M. Berger, I. Muluhlhauser, and P.T. Sawicki, that sulphonylurea drugs cause increased risk of heart attack. The Dusseldorf team had cited evidence suggesting such a risk existed, including a study that compared use of the drug to conventional insulin treatment in a group of heart disease patients. In this study, the insulin group had lower mortality rates than the sulphonylurea users.
Fasching, citing other evidence, claimed that use of sulphonylureas did not pose an increased cardiovascular risk, and dismissed the Dusseldorf team's claim as "mere speculation."
In response to Fasching's comments, the Dusseldorf team agreed that studies demonstrating the cardiovascular risks of sulphonylureas are not definitive. Nevertheless, they claim, "recent findings in animal and humans have provided a pathophysiological plausibility for our hypothesis."
In particular, the team emphasized that the drugs damage artery walls and cause an accumulation of plaque that clogs the vessels. The team concluded that "the-albeit incomplete-evidence implementing a cardiotoxic effect of sulphonylurea drugs has become substantial enough to shift the burden of proof... to document that this is actually safe."
Categories: Diabetes, Heart Care & Heart Disease, Insulin, International, Medications Research, Type 2 Issues
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Sep 1, 1998
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Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
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Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
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