Common Gout Drug May Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes

A widely used gout medication may offer added protection when paired with standard heart treatments.
Common Gout Drug May Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes
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A cheap gout medication could prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes each year, according to a review.

The review analyzed 12 studies and found that low-dose colchicine, when added to standard heart medications, reduced the risk of cardiovascular events with minimal side effects. For every 1,000 people treated, there were nine fewer heart attacks and eight fewer strokes compared with those not taking the drug.

George Citroner
George Citroner
Author
George Citroner reports on health and medicine, covering topics that include cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. He was awarded the Media Orthopaedic Reporting Excellence (MORE) award in 2020 for a story on osteoporosis risk in men.