pulmicort as a cardiac protectant?
theOXYGENpimp
Pulmicort may help reduce heart attacks and angina in patients with
"smoker's lung," or COPD, researchers said on Monday.
A new analysis of a previous 1,175-patient study found that off 49
patients who experienced adverse cardio-ischemic events, 37 percent
were on the drug and 63 percent on placebo.
This suggests chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is more than
just a respiratory disease and that doctors should evaluate not only
airflow but also cardiovascular outcomes, said Professor Claes-Goran
Lofdahl of Lund University, Sweden, who conducted the analysis.
"The study shows that, potentially, cardiovascular events in COPD
patients could be significantly reduced if an inhaled corticosteroid is
prescribed," he told the European Respiratory Society congress in
Copenhagen.
Lofdahl said the mechanism of action was unclear but it could be that
steroid drugs like Pulmicort, whose chemical name is budesonide, might
reduce inflammation linked to heart problems as well as lung disorders.
Inhaled steroids are widely used in treating patients with COPD,
alongside bronchodilators.
Hmmmmmmm....you gotta wonder though, maybe it's because the other group
didn't receive a steroid they had trouble breathing leading to strain
on the heart. Just a thought. Or maybe they really are onto something.
Now they need a bigger and more controlled study.
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