The admission of cardiac glycoside digoxin may increase the risk of premature death in patients with atrial fibrillation, for which it is sometimes prescribed.
This is indicated by the data of a study conducted in Germany.
German scientists conducted a systematic review of several major scientific papers and found that patients who take digoxin, 21% increased risk of death from all causes.
For patients with atrial fibrillation, this figure was 29%, and for patients with heart failure - 14%.
"Digoxin should be used with great care. Today, there are much better drugs for most of our patients, especially for those who suffer from atrial fibrillation, "said lead author Stefan Hohnloser of the Frankfurt Goethe University.
"If digoxin is still used, then it is necessary to ensure thorough monitoring of the level of the substance in the blood," adds the professor.
The results of the study appeared on May 5 in the pages of the European Heart Journal.
Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a famous cardiology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "Digoxin has been used in clinical practice for many decades, including the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. However, so far, clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of digoxin in this disease have remained extremely limited. This is a very contradictory question ".
"Several studies have already demonstrated a link between the intake of digoxin and the increased risk of premature death. But these results may be inaccurate, because digoxin is more likely to be administered to patients with severe heart failure and those who do not respond to other drugs, "explains Fonarow.
According to Fonarow, the same can be said about the latest study of his German colleagues. He says that combining insufficiently reliable data from several sources does not provide more reliable results.
"In our time, doctors prefer other drugs for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. But I want to warn that patients who are taking digoxin should never stop taking the drug without consulting their doctor, who should weigh the benefit and risk of each treatment option, "says Professor.
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