Article: This common drug used to treat heart attacks could have fatal consequences for women: new study (beta-blockers)

[Sly Saint]

A groundbreaking study could compel doctors to reconsider decades-old treatment protocols for heart patients, as research suggests a widely-prescribed medication may actually cause more damage than benefit. The research, published in the European Heart Journal, reveals that beta blockers prove ineffective for most patients, with women experiencing particularly alarming outcomes.

These women were also nearly three times more likely to die compared with women not given the drug, the study found. This was especially true for women receiving high doses of beta-blockers, according to lead study author Dr. Borja Ibanez.

Despite this, the same is not true for men, the research found.

Ibanez described the findings as “significant,” noting that the total number of women in the clinical trial was the largest ever included in a study testing beta-blockers after a heart attack.

The findings related to women with a left ventricular ejection fraction – the measurement used to determine how well the left side of the heart is pumping oxygenated blood – of above 50 percent. That is the level which is considered normal, according to the study.

This common drug used to treat heart attacks could have fatal consequences: new study

Beta-blockers are medicines that are used to lower blood pressure and cause the heart to beat more slowly and with less force and have been used to treat cardiovascular issues for years

www.independent.co.uk