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MONDAY, Sept. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
The widely prescribed antibiotic azithromycin<\/a> is being investigated as a COVID-19<\/a> treatment, but a new study warns it could increase the risk of heart<\/a> problems.<\/p>\n Researchers analyzed data from millions of patients (average age: 36) in the United States and found that azithromycin<\/a> by itself isn’t associated with an increase in heart<\/a> problems.<\/p>\n But the risk increases if it is taken with certain other drugs<\/a> that affect the electrical functioning of the heart, according to findings published Sept. 15 in the journal JAMA Network Open<\/i>.<\/p>\n “Our findings should give researchers and clinicians looking at azithromycin as a potential treatment for COVID-19<\/a> pause,” said study author Haridarshan Patel, a researcher in University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy.<\/p>\n “We found that if taken together with drugs<\/a> that affect the electrical impulses of the heart, the combination is linked with a 40% increase in cardiac events, including fainting<\/a>, heart palpitations<\/a> and even cardiac arrest<\/a>,” Patel said in a university news release.<\/p>\n In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that azithromycin had been linked to cardiac events, but research has yielded mixed findings.<\/p>\n Previous studies examining azithromycin and heart problems involved groups that tend to be older and with more health issues, including Medicaid patients and veterans. This study looked at a wide range of patients, the authors noted.<\/p>\n Drugs that affect the electrical impulses of the heart are called QT-prolonging drugs. They include blood pressure<\/a> medications such as ACE inhibitors<\/a> and beta-blockers<\/a>, some antidepressants<\/a>, anti-malaria<\/a> drugs such as hydroxychloroquine<\/a>, opioid medications and even muscle relaxers.<\/p>\n In a previous study, Patel’s team found that 1 in 5 people prescribed azithromycin also were taking a QT-prolonging drug.<\/p>\n “Because QT-prolonging drugs are used so commonly, our findings suggest that doctors prescribing azithromycin should be sure that patients are not also taking a QT-prolonging drug,” Patel said.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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