A new study presented today at American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2012 asserts Americans are more likely to die from heart death in the winter. Researchers at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles analyzed more than 1.5 million death certificates from 2005 to 2008. They focused on cold climates and warm climates, drawing from Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles County and the western half of Washington State.
According to researchers, people were 26% to 36% more likely to die of heart problems such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and other heart diseases in the winter regardless of locale. However, with new heart drugs going through late stage trials, could this spike in winter heart death be curtailed?
New Heart Medication Seeks to Prevent This Heart Failure
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis is hoping that as their trials for heart drug Serelaxin progress, they might be able to curtail heart death due to risky behaviors such as obesity and lack of exercise. In its late stage trials, this drug has shown promise. Novartis reports a 37% reduction in heart death after 6 months and an overall reduction in shortness of breath in patients by day 5. However, it has not reached early goals of reducing symptoms at early intervals in therapy.
Serelaxin is a recombinant form of the human hormone relaxin-2 which occurs naturally in both men and women. It is intended to provide the following benefits in patients with heart disease:
- increase heart output
- decrease systemic vascular resistance
- modulate pulmonary capillary wedge pressure
- modulate n-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide
If Your Heart Medication Injurs You Instead
If your heart medication has injured you instead of helping you, you need to seek immediate medical attention. And when you recover, you should speak to a skilled product liability attorney to discuss how we can help you win the compensation you need to recover your financial health.
