By IANS
London : Two drugs commonly prescribed to treat Type 2 diabetes double the risk of heart failure, say scientists.
Type 2 diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood.
It was earlier known that the drugs rosiglitazone and pioglitazone should not be used for patients known to have heart failure, but new research indicates that the drugs can provoke the problem even in those without a history of heart disease.
Researchers of University of East Anglia studied data of over 78,000 patients and estimated that one in every 50 people taking the drugs over a 26-month period would require hospitalisation because of heart failure, the online edition of BBC News reported.
The researchers also looked in detail at more than 200 cases of patients with heart failure related to the diabetes drugs and found that the problem developed even in patients taking low doses of the drugs.
"This means that the diabetes drugs could have caused thousands of additional cases of heart failure," said lead researcher Yoon Loke.
While heart failure is often thought to be a problem affecting older patients, the researchers also found that one quarter of cases occurred in people younger than 60.
Patients are advised not to stop taking the drugs, but to consult their physicians if they have concerns, the experts said.