Pseudoephedrine Tied to Heart Attack in Young Man

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" JoAnn Guest " <angelprincessjo

Thu Nov 25, 2004 9:06 pm

Pseudoephedrine Tied to Heart Attack in Young Man

 

 

 

Health - Reuters

 

 

Pseudoephedrine Tied to Heart Attack in Young Man

Wed Nov 24, 2:20 PM ET Health - Reuters

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If a recently reported case is a

reliable indicator, the over-the-counter medication pseudoephedrine

can cause a heart attack -- even in healthy young adults.

 

Dr. Alex F. Manini and colleagues at Harvard Medical School (news -

web sites) in Boston treated a 32-year-old man who experienced

severe chest pain 45 minutes after taking two tablets of an over-the-

counter cold remedy containing pseudoephedrine and acetaminophen.

 

 

The diagnosis of an acute heart attack was made based on laboratory

testing, the team reports in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Further tests showed that the heart muscle had been damaged by the

event.

 

 

Prior to this episode, the man had been in good health except for a

cold, Manini's group explains.

 

Cardiac catheterization showed that his coronary arteries were

normal, and there was no history of heart disease or sudden death in

his family.

 

 

" This case highlights a potential danger of pseudoephedrine even

when used by otherwise healthy people, " the researchers note.

 

They say doctors should advise their patients to be cautious when

they take pseudoephedrine or similar drugs.

 

 

Drug-related adverse reactions are a common cause of illness and are

among the top ten causes of death, Dr. E. Martin Caravati, of the

University of Utah in Salt Lake City, points out in an accompanying

editorial.

 

In a recent study, pseudoephedrine was found to be the fourth most

commonly used over-the-counter drug, surpassed only by pain

medications.

 

 

Therefore, he says, doctors should perform complete medication

reviews with their patients -- including dietary supplements, over-

the counter medications and herbal remedies.

 

 

SOURCE: Annals of Emergency Medicine, November 22nd online edition,

2004.

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