Tony Lambert delphine1939@videotron.ca
11 Janvier 2007
Halting heart drugs a big risk, study finds
ANDRÉ PICARD
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
About a third of heart attack survivors stop taking prescribed medications within a couple of years and, as a result, their risk of dying shoots up, new Canadian research shows.
Those who take drugs such as statins and beta blockers routinely, on the other hand, see their risk of dying fall by about 25 per cent, according to the study.
"In the end, it's a pretty simple message: Take your drugs as prescribed and you will live longer," David Alter, a senior scientist at the Toronto-based Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, said in an interview.
As simple as it may seem on the surface, the challenge for researchers was to disentangle the benefits of drugs from other lifestyle issues. The problem is that people who take their meds also tend to stop smoking, improve their diet and exercise -- all factors that can reduce the risk of a subsequent heart attack.
"This study looked just at drug effects, and they are significant," Dr. Alter said. He was quick to add, though, that other lifestyle changes will bring additional health benefits, so patients should not see prescription drugs as a panacea.
Monty Mazin is a case in point. The Toronto retiree had a massive heart attack 13 years ago, but today, at 80, he is the picture of good health.
He has been taking a single beta blocker (half a pill in the morning, half at night) every day for 12 years, in addition to exercising and eating well.
"I would say the medication has saved my life because . . . I've had no problems whatsoever," Mr. Mazin said.
The research, which is published in today's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was based on the records of 31,455 heart-attack survivors over the age of 66 who were prescribed statins, beta blockers or calcium channel blockers between 1999 and 2003.
Dr. Alter said the reasons people do not take prescribed drugs are varied and complex. Forgetfulness is an issue, and so are side effects, both real and perceived.
But the biggest problem, the researcher said, is that patients start feeling better and conclude, incorrectly, that they no longer need the drug.
About 77,825 people died of heart disease in 2003, the most recent year for which data are available.
