Three heart drug classes linked to lower risk after valve replacement
Hazard ratios for heart-failure hospitalization or cardiovascular death were 0.93, 0.86 and 0.78 for three drug classes, each compared with no prescription.
Limit: Drug exposure was based on a single prescription, not confirmed medication use or adherence
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers analyzed records from 57,676 people in England with severe aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve, who underwent surgical or transcatheter valve replacement. The observational study followed them for a median of three years. It used a framework designed to mimic a randomized trial and adjusted for measured differences between groups. Researchers defined drug exposure as at least one prescription within 90 days after replacement.
Three heart-drug classes—renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, beta-blockers and sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors—were linked to lower risk of heart-failure hospitalization or cardiovascular death. Their respective hazard ratios were 0.93, 0.86 and 0.78 compared with no prescription for that class. A hazard ratio below 1 indicates a lower event rate over time. A fourth class, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, was associated with higher risk of the same outcome.
Why it matters
Aortic stenosis is a common heart valve disease in older age. The study addresses a gap in evidence about whether heart-failure medicines can help preserve health after valve replacement.
Caveats
This observational analysis could not rule out unmeasured differences between people prescribed each drug class and those not prescribed it. Randomized trials are needed to confirm whether these drugs provide benefit after valve replacement.
