Study finds that some commonly prescribed antibiotics and antipsychotics ingested by patients with type 2 diabetes can double their risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

A study conducted by researchers at Amsterdam UMC in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has linked certain antibiotics and antipsychotics with an increased risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), in people with type two diabetes. SCA, which is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood, can be caused by a number of characteristics, including history of arrhythmias, with a 68% increased risk, smoking, with a 40% increased risk, QTc-prolonging prokinetic medication, with a 66% increased risk, and insulin use, with a whopping 138% increased risk of SCA.

The study observed 3,919 people with type 2 diabetes, 689 of whom had experienced SCA between the years 2010-2019, and 3,230 who had not. Clinical measurements like blood pressure and blood glucose levels, medication use and medical history for five years leading up to the SCA were noted and assessed. The results led researchers to conclude that while they were already aware that classic cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, raise the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in people with type 2 diabetes, taking certain antibiotics and antipsychotics can contribute as well. An association between some commonly prescribed antibiotics and antipsychotics, and a change in functioning of the heart’s electrical system known as QT-prolongation has been discovered, casting these drugs as being QTc-prolonging.

Peter Harms, the leader of the study, adds that the results emphasize the necessity for GPs to be aware of the hazards of too strict glycemic control and the prescription of commonly used antibiotics, antipsychotics and prokinetics.

“Caution must definitely be exercised when prescribing these antibiotics and antipsychotics to ensure the lowest risk factor in patients with type 2 diabetes.” – Saba Ansari, VP of Clinical Services