| An oral anti-diabetic drug, pioglitazone, has been shown to reduce
clogging of arteries, lowered blood pressure, raised good cholesterol
and improved on other cardio-vascular risk factors. In the study
presented at the recent 57th annual meeting of the American College of
Cardiology in Chicago, it was discovered that pioglitazone caused a
regression of coronary atherosclerosis.
It also improved blood pressure, raised high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) by 16%, and lowered triglycerides by 15% and high-sensitivity
C-reactive protein by some 45%. This double-blind study was conducted
by world renowned heart specialist Dr Steven Nissen, of Cleveland
Clinic, Ohio, in the US.
It was carried out from August 2003 till March 2006, across 97
hospitals in North and South America. The study covered 543 diabetic
patients who also have heart disease.
Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin, the director of the National Heart Foundation
(Yayasan Jantung Malaysia), said that Type 2 diabetics constantly faced
life-threatening conditions such as stroke, coronary heart disease and
kidney failure due to complications arising from diabetes.
He said the outcome of the study has given diabetics new hope in
managing their cardio-vascular risk factors. The study, titled
Pioglitazone Effect on Regression of Intravascular Sonographic Coronary
Obstruction Prospective Evaluation (Periscope), compared
insulin-sensitiser pioglitazone with insulin secretagogue, glimepiride,
over an 18-month period.
The result of the Periscope study indicated that, while glimepiride
therapy showed a 0.73% rise in plaque (a deposit of fatty material on
the inner lining of an arterial wall, which can lead to clogged
arteries), pioglitazone, instead, had a 0.16% drop in plaque volume.
Khoo said: “This is the first time an oral medication has shown such an ability to reduce the clogging of
coronary arteries. “It clearly shows that with daily intake of
pioglitazone, Type 2 diabetics have a lower chance of developing heart
disease.
This obviously a very significant result that offers diabetics a new
lease in life. “We must always be aware that Type 2 diabetes does not
have a known cure but with the inclusion of pioglitazone in a diabetic
heart patient, it can help prolong life.”
He added that the Periscope results showed pioglitazone did not have
any ill cardio-vascular side effect that other drugs of its class had.
More importantly, it had benefited Type 2 diabetics beyond controlling
their blood sugar levels by reducing mortality and diseases arising
from diabetic complications and preserving quality of life.
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