Common antibiotics linked to heart valve problems, study finds

A class of commonly prescribed antibiotics, fluoroquinolones, cause an increased risk of heart valve problems, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The study compared the effects of antibiotic use among 12,502 people with heart valve regurgitation and 125,020 people with no heart condition, according to The New York Times.

Researchers compared the effects of fluoroquinolones with the effects of other commonly prescribed antibiotics, amoxicillin and azithromycin.

The study found patients taking fluoroquinolone antibiotics had a 240 percent higher relative risk for heart valve regurgitation than amoxicillin users and 75 percent higher risk than people who took azithromycin. However, researchers found that the risk declined over time, and within n two months of stopping use of the antibiotic, there was no longer an increased risk.

Fluoroquinolones are already known to have side effects, including tendon rupture, aortic rupture and nerve damage. With the discovery of additional risks, Mahyar Etminan, PharmD, an associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, told The New York Times that fluoroquinolones should only be used in situations where nothing else is available and the benefits outweigh the risks.

Read the full report here.

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