REVIEW FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF INCREASED RISK OF MI ASSOCIATED WITH USE OF ARB'S

HeartWire (4/27, Nainggolan) reported that "a new review of 37 randomized trials including almost 150 000 patients has found no evidence of an increased risk of MI associated with the use of angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs). For the review, investigators "included all randomized clinical trials comparing ARBs with controls (placebo or active treatment), with follow-up of at least one year, at least 100 participants, and reporting any of the following outcomes -- MI, death, CV death, angina, stroke, heart failure, or new-onset diabetes -- published until August 2010." The investigators found that, "when compared with controls, ARBs were not associated with an increase in the risk of MI (relative risk 0.99, 95% CI 0.92-1.07), death, cardiovascular death, or angina pectoris." The research is published online in BMJ.

Posted by Steven Almany, MD