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Angina Treatments Weighed in Elderly
Study Shows Similar Long-Term Survival Rates
By
Miranda Hitti
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Monday, August 30, 2004
WebMD Medical News
Aug.
30, 2004 -- When it comes to treating chest pain,
or angina, in people aged 75 or older, heart surgery
and medication have similar long-term survival
rates, according to a new study in the journal
Circulation.
The
finding comes from the Trial of Invasive versus
Medical Therapy in the Elderly (TIME), which was
headed by cardiologist Matthias Pfisterer, MD,
of University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland.
Angina
occurs when a buildup of plaque narrows the heart
arteries and blocks blood flow that feeds the
heart. Angina is a sign that you are at risk for
a heart attack.
The
TIME team divided 300 elderly patients, all of
whom were at least 75 when the study started,
into two groups: those receiving surgery for angina
and those receiving medication. Forty-two percent
were women.
After
six months, most people from both groups were
still alive (about 91% of those who had surgery
and almost 96% of those given medication).
After
one year, 276 patients were still alive, including
about 90% of the surgery group and almost 94%
of the medication group.
The
two groups also had similar survival rates around
five years after treatment. About 71% of the surgery
group and 73% of the medication group were still
alive at that point.
During
the study, there were no significant differences
between the groups in heart attack deaths; however,
patients assigned to treatment with medications
had almost twice as many nonfatal heart attacks
and hospitalizations.
Overall,
almost two out of every five surgery patients
remained free of any major heart-related event
or angina during the study, compared with only
one in five of the patients treated with medication.
The
findings should help elderly patients and their
doctors weigh angina treatment options, say the
researchers.
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SOURCES:
Pfisterer, M. Circulation, Sept. 7, 2004. News
release, American Heart Association.
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