A recent study has found that the use of
sympathomimetic decongestants does not aggravate the risk of stroke or myocardial
infarction (MI) or commonly known as heart attack.
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| Photo: Myocardial Infarction (MI) | InStyleHealth |
Experts performed a nested case-crossover studying 1,394
Myocardial Infarction (MI) patients and 1,403 stroke patients. Phone interviews
were conducted to determine decongestant use in the 3 weeks before the
cardiovascular event.
Eighty-nine percent of the participants have confirmed
the use of decongestants in the 3 weeks leading up to their stroke or heart
attack. Twenty-eight percent of the patients were exposed in the immediate week
before the cardiovascular episode took place; these patients were considered to
be at the highest risk of the effect of the decongestants. On the other hand, 31 took decongestants 3
weeks before the cardiovascular event happened and were used as a reference for
the study.
The possibility of stroke and heart attack was not significantly
more likely to happen in patients who took decongestants immediately prior to
the event, in comparison to the reference group.
Likewise, decongestant exposure had no significant
impact on either stroke alone or in heart attacks alone. Odds were calculated
using conditional logistic regression models, and adjusted for time-varying variables
such as infections.
Classifying participants according to age, sex, and
the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors did not alter the preliminary
findings. Viewing at different subcategories of stroke similarly unveiled no
significant impact of decongestant usage.
According to the researchers of this study, “Further
research is recommended on elderly patients and those with hemorrhagic stroke,
a difficult task given the low use of these drugs by the elderly and the
necessity to interview patients for the study of over-the-counter drugs.”
For complete technical details of the study, click here...
Source: Sci Rep 2021;11:4160