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Statistics speak for themselves: on average, an American dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds reports the American Heart Association (AHA). In addition, the AHA observed an increase of almost 29% of deaths linked to stroke between 2012 and 2022. aspirin And beta-blockers are two of the most common treatments for patients with heart attack, but new research said that these drugs could in fact increase your cardiovascular risk.

In relation: Taking 1 common medication could prevent 100,000 heart attacks per year, research reveals research .

Researchers may have found an alternative to safer aspirin for patients with heart attack.

A new meta-analysis published in the review Lancet Deterpin long -term belief that aspirin is the most suitable medication for treating established coronary disease. Researchers say rather that clopidogrel is a more effective alternative.

The clopidogrel is an oral tablet that works like a platelet inhibitor. "He Reduces luck That a harmful blood clot will form by preventing the plates from regrouping in the blood, ”explains Mayo Clinic. It is sold under the Plavix brand.

Researchers specifically studied the success rate of clopidogrel in patients who had already undergone a heart attack or a stroke. They found that the clopidogrel reduced the risk of future heart attack, stroke or mortality at cardiovascular origin 14% . In addition, they observed No increased risk of major bleeding , which is a known risk of the drug.

"To our knowledge, clopidogrel monotherapy is the only anti-flash treatment that has always demonstrated greater efficiency than aspirin without compromising security," wrote the authors.

Their data analysis examined seven randomized trials involving 28.982 individuals; 14,507 took clopidogrel and 14,475 used aspirin. After a five -year observation period, patients with clopidogrel were less likely to undergo a major cardiovascular event compared to patients with aspirin.

"These results support the consideration of the clopidogrel as a preferred long-term anti-platform strategy instead of aspirin in patients with established coronary disease," the authors wrote.

In relation: Doctors warn that common drugs can be linked to the risk of dementia .

Additional research has revealed that beta-blockers can increase the chances of a woman in a second heart attack.

Is it sure that women take beta-blockers after having undergone a heart attack? Maybe not, according to a new study published in the European Heart Journal . The study examined patients with heart attack with minor cardiac damage, some of which were prescribed by beta-blockers for treatment.

"Beta-blockers work Block beta receptors . This action prevents [stress hormones] epinephrine and noradrenaline from binding to these receptors and thus inhibits their action inside the cells. This, in turn, reduces stress on the heart, slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure, ”explains Harvard Health.

The research team discovered that women taking beta-blockers were more likely to undergo a second heart attack and to be hospitalized for heart failure, compared to their peers who did not use beta-blockers. In addition, cardiovascular mortality was three times higher in beta-blockers.

"These results will reshape all international clinical guidelines on the use of beta-blockers in men and women and should trigger a sexual and specific sex approach for cardiovascular diseases", author of the senior study Valentin Fuster , PHD, president of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York and Managing Director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation in Madrid, said Cnn .

Study author Borja Ibáñez , PHD, called the "significant" study, noting that this clinical trial has studied the greatest population of women who take beta-blockers after a heart attack.

A left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40% is an indicator of potential heart failure, while fraction levels above 50% are considered to be "normal". As CNN explains, "the ejection fraction is a way of measuring the way in which the left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body." Patients with heart attack in the first category are often recommended as the best treatment.

Stents and anticoagulants can also help brake these dimensions, although many doctors still use beta-blockers as folded.

"However, at present, around 80% of patients in the United States, Europe and Asia are treated with beta-blockers because medical guidelines are still recommending," said Ibáñez. "Although we often test new drugs, it is much less common to rigorously question the continuous need for older treatments."