Nowadays, we seem to fear the doctors, the treatment procedures, the drugs and the hospitalization expenses more than the disease itself. And the accuracy of the treatments seem to bother us a lot as we cannot just relax while giving the entire "burden" to our doctors.
So it's not the disease itself, rather drugs and diseases, which combine together to give us sleepless nights. And just think of more serious cases like cancer, in which the drugs are equally defamed as the disease itself. And this threat deepens more with a research claiming that Herceptin, a breast cancer drug raises the risk of heart problems in senior patients.
This has been found to be especially true in diabetic women or in those with a history of heart diseases. Researchers examined the medical history of 45 women who were between the ages 70 and 92. These women had been undergoing treatment with Herceptin since 2005. It was found that around 26.7 percent of them were diagnosed with heart problems.
This rate has been found to be slightly higher than what was observed in case of younger women. Asymptomatic or symptomatic heart problems were noted in 33 percent of women who had a history of heart diseases in comparison to 9.1 percent of women, who did not have such a medical history.
Around 33 percent of women with diabetes were diagnosed with heart problems compared to 6 percent who did not have diabetes. When these women stooped the intake of this drug, all except one was able to witness a complete recovery. And five of them were able to get back to the treatment.
The findings led researchers to conclude that the susceptible senior women, who are receiving treatment with trastuzumab, the generic drug, would be required to consult a cardiologist as well. They have also advised these patients to conduct a close monitoring of their heart conditions frequently.
