Treatment for lung disease may also reduce heart attacks

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that steroid treatment to reduce inflammation in chronic lung disease also reduces heart attack risk.
In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), destruction of lung tissue leads to breathlessness and increasing disability. Those with COPD also have an increased risk of heart disease.

In a new study, researchers at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, studied a group of 5,648 patients with COPD and followed them up for eight years. During this time, 371 had a heart attack. Those on steroids, used to reduce the inflammation accompanying COPD, ran a reduced risk of having a heart attack. In general, inhaled steroids reduced this risk by 18 per cent.

The researchers think that the steroids also reduce the inflammation that plays a role in heart disease. This unexpected benefit of steroids should now be studied in proper clinical trials, to see if they really can protect those with COPD from a heart attack.

Source
European Respiratory Journal April 2005