A commonly used AIDS drug appears to nearly double the risk of a heart
attack, researchers said Tuesday. In a study published online by the
medical journal Lancet, the researchers also said another less
frequently used AIDS drug increased the chances of a heart attack by 50
percent. Experts said doctors should be aware of the increased risks,
but they did not recommend that patients abandon the two drugs, Ziagen
and Videx. AIDS drugs "are wonderful and lifesaving, but they do have toxicity
problems," said Dr. Charlie Gilks, an AIDS treatment expert at the
World Health Organization. "It may be that we can continue to use them,
but we need to be aware of their long-term problems." AIDS drugs are used in combinations, so they could be swapped with others if necessary. Experts have suspected that AIDS drugs could cause heart problems, but
no definitive evidence has been available. The drugs come with many
side effects, including liver and kidney failure, chronic fatigue
syndrome, hepatitis and jaundice. Jens D. Lundgren of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues
analyzed data from more than 33,000 people infected with the AIDS virus
in Europe, the United States and Australia to study the long-term
effects of five AIDS drugs. The patients were followed for up to five
years to see who had heart problems.In the 754 patients who had heart attacks, 192 had recently taken
Ziagen, also known as abacavir, and 124 had recently taken Videx, also
known as didanosine.Those who took Ziagen, included in many AIDS regimens worldwide, had
twice the chances of a heart attack compared to patients on other AIDS
drugs, the researchers reported. Those on Videx had a 50 percent higher
chance. But the risk disappeared six months after patients stopped
taking the drugs.Lundgren said patients already susceptible to heart problems were most at risk. For men over 40 who smoked and were overweight, the risk of a heart
attack were as high as 20 percent. Taking Ziagen increased that risk to
nearly 40 percent. SOURCE OF THIS STORY