Posted on 05/23/2022 1:57:24 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
The anti-inflammatory benefits of a common gout medicine may help save the lives of heart failure patients, researchers say.
The medication, colchicine, could also reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients whose arteries are clogged with cholesterol, according to the study authors.
"The signal for benefit with colchicine in these patients was very impressive, and I expect that these findings will have quite a significant impact on clinical care in heart failure and future research for patients with this condition," Dr. Kenneth Bilchick said. He's a professor of cardiovascular medicine.
For the study, Bilchick and his team analyzed the records of more than 1,000 patients admitted for worsening heart failure, which occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood through the body.
Survival rates were nearly 98% for those who received colchicine for a gout flare, compared with less than 94% for those who weren't given colchicine.
Many patients with heart failure also have gout, a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints.
Common treatments for gout include colchicine, steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen. However, steroids and NSAIDs are not typically given to heart failure patients because they could worsen heart failure symptoms.
Colchicine may benefit heart failure patients by reducing inflammation in the heart and blood vessels, the researchers suggested.
"These results highlight the importance of novel inflammatory mechanisms in heart failure," Bilchick said.
Heart failure is more than just a failure of the pumping function of the heart, said Dr. Sula Mazimba. "There are other processes that are involved, especially during an acute hospitalization phase, such as elevated inflammation and neuro-hormonal process. Many of the therapeutic agents for heart failure target neuro-hormonal pathways, but few if any target inflammatory pathways," Mazimba said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Even if you don’t have gout, pretend you do (or give this to your doctor).
What about the Alupurinal ?
Wait. I thought that off label usage was disinformation now. What gives?
I’ve been watching some youtube videos on Uric acid (the cause of) and it’s effect on metabolism.
I don’t have gout, but I’ve started taking a supplement to reduce uric acid.
I wish I had known this last year before my wife passed away.
I’ve been on colchicine for a few weeks for an off label purpose. My DO said it can help with MCAS.
It’s an interesting drug as it’s one of the oldest known to man with it’s use recorded by the Greeks.
94% survival vs. 98% survival?
Doesn’t sound like a big difference to me. Is it even statistically significant?
It worked great for my gout that’s for sure. Almost a miracle drug IMO.
Colchicine worked for my last gout attack. It was really bad with my whole foot swelled up and skin ready to split. It felt like it had been blown off with a shotgun. No pain killers offered up, suffer like a dog I did. What passes for a doctor in this country anymore, spit. I was under the impression there is a limited supply of Colchicine.
If you look at the reverse numbers
6% to 2% is a 300% improvement.
Its name is derived from ancient greek as something close to "death to dogs".
It is quite toxic and needs to be used carefully. It basically halts cell mitosis - it stops cell division and that has to be tough on a lot of tissues.
Gout can a direct result of diet.
I kept getting flareups.... was prescribed
Colcrys to mitigate it. Was advised to modifiy my diet so I dropped pork, red meat and a few other things for the most part out of my diet and haven’t had an attack in years.
Alcohol can be a large contributor also.
After reading the side effects I passed on it. It causes cataracts from what I remember, that was reason enough for me to pass on it.
Big Pharma will kill it, so it doesn’t replace the expensive heart drugs, Jardiance and Entresto, and the not-so-expensive epelerone, pacerone, carvedilol.
The study had plenty of people in it to determine that.
Been there done that. Remarkably, 2000 MG of vitamin C daily with fruit cured my gout. Could be most gout may be scurvy in disguise. Human bodies don’t make their own vitamin C like most critters in this planet.
colchicine has been a medicine since ancient times. It can screw up the kidneys if you take too much.
When a doc prescribes this they usually take a uric acid test. And it is typically prescribed in case of a flare up so you don’t get a daily dose.
The clouding is seemingly temporary, but chronic use would keep it around.
bkmk
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