In a study published on 11th September in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that current users of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as Ciprofloxacin or Cipro, face a 2.4 times greater risk of developing aortic and mitral regurgitation, where the blood backflow into the heart, compared to patients who take amoxicillin, a different type of antibiotic. The greatest risk is within 30 days of use. "You can send patients home with a once-a-day pill," this class of antibiotics is very convenient, but for the majority of cases, especially community-related infections, they're not really needed.
The inappropriate prescribing may cause both antibiotic resistance as well as serious heart problems," said study lead author Mahyar Etminan, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia. For the study, the research team analysed data from the US Food and…
