A recent national study combined two drugs used to treat heartdisease, and the study’s results showed mortality rate andhospitalizations for heart failure among African Americansdrastically decreased.
According to the study, which included participants in NewOrleans, there was a 43 percent decrease in the death rate relatedto heart disease among African Americans. The study also saidhospitalizations decreased by one-third.
The Association of Black Cardiologists and NitroMed, apharmaceutical company that develops drugs based on the therapeuticbenefits of nitric oxide, are two of the organizations that workedon the study.
Nitric oxide helps remodel the shape of heart ventricles, saidDr. Joseph Cefalu, a cardiologist at the Baton Rouge CardiologyCenter.
Participants received a drug, BiDil, which combines isosorbidedinitrate and hydralizine. The drug produces nitric oxide and keepsit from breaking down in the body.
The study focused on African Americans because analysis of paststudies “strongly suggested that black patients have aclinically significant response to a combination of isosorbidedinitrate and hydralizine,” according to the study posted onthe New England Journal of Medicine’s Web site.
Cefalu said heart disease is common in older people, but it canoccur at birth. Coronary heart disease and blockages usually occurlater in life.
Autumn Douglas, a nutritionist at the Student Health Center,said people can start to develop hardening of the arteries as youngas two years old.
“A high fat diet leads to obesity and hardening of thearteries,” Douglas said. “Obesity often is caused byeating an excess of calories and decrease in exercise, which canlead to heart problems and decrease in circulation.”
Cefalu said some medicines may have different effects onpatients of different races and genders.
“There are different types of heart disease,” Cefalusaid. “For example, high blood pressure and hypertension aremore common in African Americans.”
The study concluded the addition of a fixed dose of the twodrugs to standard therapy for heart failure is effective andincreases survival among black patients with advanced heartfailure.
According to NitroMed’s Web site, NitroMed announced thephase III clinical trial of BiDil had been stopped early —July 14, 2004 — because of the significant survival benefitseen with the drug.
The African-American Heart Failure Trial randomly recruited1,050 patients from around the United States who had heart failurewith dialated heart ventricles. Patients randomly received a fixeddose of a combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralizine, twodrugs that have been used to treat heart disease, or a placebo.
Cefalu said although the study was a success, it is too soon todetermine if the drug will have a definite role in helping patientswith heart disease.
Cefalu said isosorbide dinitrate and hydralizine have beenaround for a long time. But separately, neither have been shown tobe effective. Cefalu said although combining the two drugs provedto be effective in the study, one study does not guaranteesuccess.
“That drug is a long way from being released andapproved,” Cefalu said. “That one study does not meananything. We need to see several more studies over manyyears.”
Cefalu said the study did not include a very large test subjectgroup to achieve the maximum amount of results. The pill probablywill be approved because it does not seem to cause any adverse sideeffects, Cefalu said.
“It is too early to say whether [BiDil] will be tremendousfor cardiology,” Cefalu said. “The jury is still outwhether we will see the benefits they say.”