Use of methylphenidate is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the general population: a nationwide nested case-control study

Use of proton pump inhibitors is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the general population: a nested case-control study

AIMS

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) impair cardiac repolarization, prolong the QT interval, and may potentially be pro-arrhythmic. However, the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is scarcely investigated. We studied whether past or current PPI use is associated with OHCA in the general population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a nationwide nested case-control study with OHCA-cases of presumed cardiac causes and age/sex/OHCA-date-matched non-OHCA-controls from the general population. Exposure to PPI was categorized into three mutually exclusive groups of current-, past-, and non-use. Conditional logistic regression analyses with adjustments for risk factors of OHCA were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of OHCA comparing PPI use with non-users. We identified 46 578 OHCA cases and 232 890 matched non-OHCA controls (mean: 71 years, 68.8% men). PPI was used by 8769 OHCA-cases and 21 898 non-OHCA controls, and current use of PPI was associated with increased odds of OHCA compared with non-users [OR: 1.32 (95% CI: 1.28-1.37)], while past use conferred no increase in the odds of OHCA [OR: 1.01 (95% CI: 0.98-1.04)]. This increased odds of OHCA occurred in both sexes. Finally, the ORs remained elevated when we repeated the analyses in individuals without registered ischaemic heart disease [OR: 1.36 (95% CI: 1.31-1.41)], without heart failure [OR: 1.33 (95% CI: 1.29-1.38)], or without any cardiovascular comorbidities [OR: 1.84 (95% CI: 1.70-2.00)]. Also, the OR remained elevated when H2-antagonists served as the reference group [OR: 1.28 (95% CI: 1.11-1.47)].

CONCLUSION

PPI use is associated with an increased risk of OHCA in the general population. Considering the widespread use of PPIs, this study raises concerns and the need for awareness to balance the benefit and risk of treatment.

Sleep apnea, the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and potential benefits of continuous positive airway pressure therapy: A nationwide study

OBJECTIVE

Patients with sleep apnea (SA) are at increased cardiovascular risk. However, little is known about the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in patients with SA. Therefore, we studied the relation between SA patients who did and did not receive continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy with OHCA in the general population.

METHODS

Using nationwide databases, we conducted a nested case-control study with OHCA-cases of presumed cardiac causes and age/sex/OHCA-date matched non-OHCA-controls from the general population. Conditional logistic regression models with adjustments for well-known OHCA risk factors were performed to generate odds ratio (OR) of OHCA comparing patients with SA receiving and not receiving CPAP therapy with individuals without SA.

RESULTS

We identified 46,578 OHCA-cases and 232,890 matched non-OHCA-controls [mean: 71 years, 68.8% men]. Compared to subjects without SA, having SA without CPAP therapy was associated with increased odds of OHCA after controlling for relevant confounders (OR:1.20, 95%-Cl:1.06-1.36), while having SA with CPAP therapy was not associated with OHCA (OR:1.04, 95%-Cl:0.93-1.36). Regardless of CPAP therapy, age and sex did not significantly influence our findings. Our findings were confirmed in: (I) patients with neither ischemic heart disease nor heart failure (untreated SA, OR:1.24, 95%-CI:1.04-1.47; SA with CPAP, OR:1.08, 95%-CI:0.93-1.25); and (II) in patients without cardiovascular disease (untreated SA, OR:1.33, 95%-CI:1.07-1.65; SA with CPAP, OR:1.14, 95%-CI:0.94-1.39).

CONCLUSION

SA not treated with CPAP was associated with OHCA, while no increased risk of OHCA was found for SA patients treated with CPAP.

Methylphenidate and Short-Term Cardiovascular Risk

Importance

There are concerns about the safety of medications for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with mixed evidence on possible cardiovascular risk.

Objective

To assess whether short-term methylphenidate use is associated with risk of cardiovascular events.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective, population-based cohort study was based on national Swedish registry data. Participants were individuals with ADHD aged 12 to 60 years with dispensed prescriptions of methylphenidate between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2012. Each person receiving methylphenidate (n = 26 710) was matched on birth date, sex, and county to up to 10 nonusers without ADHD (n = 225 672). Statistical analyses were performed from September 13, 2022, to May 16, 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Rates of cardiovascular events, including ischemic heart disease, venous thromboembolism, heart failure, or tachyarrhythmias, 1 year before methylphenidate treatment and 6 months after treatment initiation were compared between individuals receiving methylphenidate and matched controls using a bayesian within-individual design. Analyses were stratified by history of cardiovascular events.

Results

The cohort included 252 382 individuals (15 442 [57.8% men]; median age, 20 (IQR, 15-31) years). The overall incidence of cardiovascular events was 1.51 per 10 000 person-weeks (95% highest density interval [HDI], 1.35-1.69) for individuals receiving methylphenidate and 0.77 (95% HDI, 0.73-0.82) for the matched controls. Individuals treated with methylphenidate had an 87% posterior probability of having a higher rate of cardiovascular events after treatment initiation (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.41; 95% HDI, 1.09-1.88) compared with matched controls (IRR, 1.18; 95% HDI, 1.02-1.37). The posterior probabilities were 70% for at least a 10% increased risk of cardiovascular events in individuals receiving methylphenidate vs 49% in matched controls. No difference was found in this risk between individuals with and without a history of cardiovascular disease (IRR, 1.11; 95% HDI, 0.58-2.13).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study, individuals receiving methylphenidate had a small increased cardiovascular risk vs matched controls in the 6 months after treatment initiation. However, there was little evidence for an increased risk of 20% or higher and for differences in risk increase between people with and without a history of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, before treatment initiation, careful consideration of the risk-benefit trade-off of methylphenidate would be useful, regardless of cardiovascular history.

Fluoroquinolones do not provide added risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide study

AIM

Conflicting results have been reported regarding the association between fluoroquinolones (FQs) and the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). In particular, it has not become clear whether OHCA in FQ users is related to the inherent comorbidities or whether there is a direct pro-arrhythmic effect of FQs. Therefore, we studied the relation between FQs and OHCA in the general population.

METHODS

Through Danish nationwide registries, we conducted a nested case-control study with OHCA cases of presumed cardiac causes and age/sex/OHCA date-matched non-OHCA controls from the general population. Conditional logistic regression models with adjustments for well-known risk factors of OHCA were employed to estimate the OR with 95% CI of OHCA comparing FQs with amoxicillin.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 46 578 OHCA cases (mean: 71 years (SD: 14.40), 68.8% men) and 232 890 matched controls. FQ was used by 276 cases and 328 controls and conferred no increase in the odds of OHCA compared with amoxicillin use after controlling for the relevant confounders (OR: 0.91 (95% CI: 0.71 to 1.16)). The OR of OHCA associated with FQ use did not vary significantly by age (OR≤65: 0.96 (95% CI: 0.53 to 1.74), OR>65: 0.88 (95% CI: 0.67 to 1.16), p value interaction=0.7818), sex (ORmen: 0.96 (95% CI: 0.70 to 1.31), ORwomen: 0.80 (95% CI: 0.53 to 1.20), p value interaction=0.9698) and pre-existing cardiovascular disease (ORabsent: 1.02 (95% CI: 0.57 to 1.82), ORpresent: 0.98 (95% CI: 0.75 to 1.28), p value interaction=0.3884), including heart failure (ORabsent: 0.93 (95% CI: 0.72 to 1.22), ORpresent: 1.11 (95% CI: 0.61 to 2.02), p value interaction=0.7083) and ischaemic heart disease (ORabsent: 0.85 (95% CI: 0.64 to 1.12), ORpresent: 1.38 (95% CI: 0.86 to 2.21), p value interaction=0.6230).

CONCLUSION

Our findings do not support an association between FQ exposure and OHCA in the general population. This lack of association was consistent in men and women, in all age categories, and in the presence or absence of cardiovascular disease.