A recently released study of commonly used COPD drugs shows a 58% increase in the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attacks and strokes for people who use the drugs on a daily basis. It is estimated that nearly 12 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COPD and that another 12 million people may have the disease, but not yet know it.

What is COPD?

COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which essentially refers to two incurable lung ailments – chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The most common cause of COPD is cigarette smoking. Its symptoms cause the lung’s airways to become narrowed, which leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs causing a shortness of breath, or dyspnea. COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is projected to become the third leading cause by the year 2020. It is also known as chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic obstructive airway disease, chronic airflow limitation and chronic obstructive respiratory disease.

Common treatments for COPD

Many commonly used inhalers are used to control the disease, such as Atrovent and Combivent and Spiriva. Pfizer manufactures Atrovent, Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim manufacturers Combivent and Spiriva is a joint effort by both Pfizer and Boehringer. These drugs relax the airways and prevent them from getting narrower. Both pharmaceutical companies maintain that their drugs have been proven safe. However, this new study may make doctors and patients think again…

JAMA study

The recent study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine was published in the September 24th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA. Researchers looked at 14, 783 people with COPD and found that medications, such as those discussed above, increased the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke by 58% in those people who used the drugs on a daily basis for longer than one month. Various news articles surrounding the study’s findings tell patients that use these drugs to confer with their doctors to see if continued use is worth the risk. For additional information on the study, go to http://jama.ama-assn.org/.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to one of the above drugs, click here to contact an attorney to discuss your situation. We may be able to help.