Thiazide diuretics and proarrhythmia

[Guest guest]

Here is another good discussion at heart.org, this time about the

potential for diuretics to make arrhythmias worse, including life

threatening ones, especially in patients with other heart problems.

http://dme.cybersessions.com/conference/09mar04a/

It is a friendly debate with some humor on both sides. (One doc points

out that not one of his opponent's 429 articles mentions thiazides. They

call each other " names " , too.)

The conclusion seems to be that potassium level is a key indicator of

risk, and that the nominal 3.5 threshold is not really high enough.

(Hyperkalemia actually reduces proarrhythmia risk to zero.) They also

talk about magnesium and say it is important too, but if you are taking

a diuretic and manage the potassium properly, your magnesium level will

probably follow.

Thiazides are found to have no intrinsic effect on rhythm, but their

USE, because of their effect on electrolytes, can, especially in

patients with other heart problems. Many A-Fibbers take meds for

hypertension, so this is a relevant conference.

But don't take my summary as " true " . Listen to it yourself.

- OU alum in MI