Anemia drug doubled the risk of stroke and heart

Beware, the use of anemia drugs were able to double the risk of stroke in patients with diabetes and kidney disease. Based on the quote is that was launched from HealthDay. Research by Women's Hospital in Boston, darbepoetin alfa, a drug designed to fight anemia was double the risk of stroke in patients with diabetes and kidney disease without increasing the patient's quality of life. Drugs are marketed under the name Aranesp, the frequently prescribed in diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease and mild anemia.

"The benefits expected from these drugs are smaller than the risks. The discovery of new is evidence for physicians and patients in making considerations. There is the perception that treating anemia will make patients feel better so they decided to take the risk. But its usefulness in improving the quality of life is not for we think, even doubling your risk of stroke, "said study leader Dr Marc A Pfeffer. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers included more than 4000 participants with diabetes, chronic kidney disease and anemia. They were randomly assigned to Aranesp or placebo (contains no Aranesp).

During the study, more patients who received Aranesp died or suffer from cardiovascular disorders (632), compared 602 patients who received placebo. In addition, 101 patients using Aranesp had a stroke, both fatal and nonfatal compared with those in 53 patients receiving placebo. In addition, patients who is received Aranesp to report only a slight reduction in the level of fatigue. This discovery, according to professor of medicine at the University of Toronto Dr. Phillip Marsden, indicating if the doctors and patients should discuss what should or should not use the drug. "For most patients, improved quality of life caused by these drugs is not enough to compensate for increased risk of stroke and death it caused," said Marsden.