Heart Disease Treatment: Is Digoxin Safe for Women? New Study Reveals Increased Risk of Death

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By YEET Magazine

A new analysis of a heart medication commonly prescribed for heart failure, digoxin (also known as digitalis), raises concerns about its safety, particularly for women. A study from Yale University, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that digoxin significantly increases the risk of death in women, a discovery that may change the way doctors approach heart disease treatments.

Digoxin and Heart Failure: A Common Yet Risky Prescription

Digoxin is widely prescribed to help patients with heart failure, improving the heart's pumping ability. Originally derived from the foxglove plant over 200 years ago, digoxin remains a popular choice despite the development of newer heart medications like ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers. However, a closer look at the 1997 clinical trial, which included 6,800 participants from the U.S. and Canada, found that women taking the drug faced a 23% higher relative risk of death compared to those on a placebo.

Increased Mortality in Women on Digoxin

The study revealed a troubling pattern: for every 25 women on digoxin, one additional death occurred. The risk was significantly higher in women compared to men, who actually saw a slight reduction in mortality when taking the drug. This gender-based disparity is a crucial finding, especially considering that the original clinical trials had four times more men than women. This uneven representation led researchers to miss the elevated risk for women during the initial study.

The Importance of Gender-Specific Drug Testing

Experts are now calling for more rigorous testing of heart medications to account for sex-based differences. While heart failure affects both men and women, their bodies can metabolize drugs like digoxin differently, leading to varied outcomes. Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a professor of medicine at Yale and senior author of the study, stressed the need for caution, stating that the current evidence suggests reconsidering digoxin’s use in women with heart failure.

Medical Professionals React to Digoxin Study

Although the findings are significant, some healthcare professionals urge caution in interpreting the results. Dr. Beth Abramson, a Toronto cardiologist and spokeswoman for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, highlighted that the original 1997 trial wasn’t designed to evaluate gender-based differences. As a result, it’s unclear whether digoxin is definitively harmful to women, though it does raise concerns about the drug’s safety profile in female patients.

Digoxin’s Future in Treating Heart Failure in Women

While digoxin remains a widely prescribed heart failure treatment, this new evidence calls its safety into question, particularly for women. Some experts, like Dr. Donna Stewart, chair of women's health at Toronto’s University Health Network, suggest that digoxin should not be shelved entirely but re-evaluated at lower doses for women. Future studies may help clarify whether this centuries-old drug should still have a place in modern heart disease treatment, or if newer, more effective medications are the safer option for both men and women.

In conclusion, this research underscores the importance of personalized medicine, especially when it comes to treating heart failure. As scientists and medical professionals continue to explore the effects of digoxin on women, patients are encouraged to consult with their healthcare providers before making any changes to their treatment plans.

This drug with multiple properties belongs to the digitalis family: it acts on the heart by essentially strengthening its contractions and slowing down its rhythm when it is excessive. It is used in the treatment of heart failure and certain tachycardias.

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People also ask
What are the digitalis?
The most frequently used digitalis are digoxin and digitoxin. Both can slightly strengthen your heart and slightly reduce your heart rate. Digital preparations can also reduce edema (swelling caused by fluid accumulation).

https://www.heartfailurematters.org ›

Digital - Heart Failure Matters
Why take digitalis?
Your doctor has prescribed digoxin if you have a heart rhythm disorder, heart failure or a weakened heart muscle.

Digoxin | Heart and Stroke Disease Foundation
Which medicine contains digitalin?

The improvement in the management of heart failure has limited the interest of this therapeutic class, which however remains used in the control of the heart rate of atrial fibrillation. Digoxin is the only digitalic currently used.
https://pharmacomedicale.org › item
Digital - Medical Pharmacology
What are the main symptoms of digitalis medicine poisoning?
The most frequent initial manifestations of acute intoxication are nausea and vomiting, cardiovascular manifestations (bradycardia, heart block, various dysrhythmias), signs of central nervous system damage (lethargy, confusion, weakness) and hyperkalemia.
https://www.orpha.net › detail

Digitalis medicine poisoning - Orphanet
Which medicine comes from the digitalis?
The chemicals extracted from the fingerline are used to manufacture the prescription drug digoxin. Digitalis lanata is the main source of digoxin in the United States. People use the fingerprint to treat irregular heartbeats and heart failure.
https://www.webmd.com › foxglove
PURPLE DIGITAL - Uses, side effects and more - WebMD

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What is the most common symptom of digital toxicity?
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