Increased Risk of Sudden Death Linked to Use of Some Widely Used Medications
A study which analyzed 775 cases of sudden cardiac deaths in the Netherlands has found some commonly prescribed drugs may interfere with the electrical activity controlling the heartbeat, thereby increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death.
The researchers found that the use of certain anti-psychotic and gastro-intestinal ( GI ) drugs was probably responsible for 320 sudden cardiac deaths a year in the Netherlands. The study, by extrapolation, estimated these drugs caused a total of around 9,000 sudden cardiac deaths a year in Europe and 6,000 such deaths a year in the U.S.
The drugs involved in the study are those that prolong the QTc interval in the heart. Specifically, the drugs studied were Cisapride and Domperidone ( GI drugs ), Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol and Pimozide ( anti-psychotics ) and Erythromycin and Clarithomycin ( antibiotics ). While each of these drugs have previously been implicated in cardiac arrhythmia, the new study is believed to be the first to evaluate the link between these prescription drugs and sudden cardiac death.
The highest sudden cardiac death risk level was for those using higher daily doses of GI or anti-psychotic medications. Risk also tended to be higher among women than men and among older patients than younger, although these differences were not statistically significant according to the researchers.
In Europe and the U.S., the normal annual incidence of sudden cardiac death is one to two deaths a year per thousand of population. This risk rises to around three per thousand per year in those taking these particular drugs.
(Posted by: Tom Lamb)