Does low dose colchicine reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in high risk patients?

This study looked at the use of colchicine (Colcrys) in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). It found that patients treated with colchicine had a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart disease-related death.

CAD is a disease in which the blood vessels in the heart become blocked. It can lead to heart attack, stroke, or death. These are known as major cardiovascular events (MACEs). Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory medication that is used for gout. Recent studies have shown that it may help to stop the process of CAD. However, it is not clear how effective this treatment is in reducing the risk of MACE in patients with CAD.

This study compared the results of five studies involving a total of 11,816 patients with CAD. 5,918 patients were treated with colchicine 0.5 mg once or twice per day, 5,898 received a placebo. Patients were followed up for an average of 23 to 36 months to monitor how many had MACEs.

Overall the risk of MACEs was reduced by 25% in the colchicine group compared to the placebo group. Patients taking colchicine were 22% less likely to have a heart attack than patients taking placebo. Patients taking colchicine were also 46% less likely to have a stroke and 23% less likely to have another blockage in the treated blood vessel.

The risk of side effects such as hospitalization for infection, gastrointestinal symptoms or the risk of cancer were not different between the colchicine and placebo groups.

This study showed that colchicine reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart disease-related death in patients with CAD.

Most studies involved older male patients without heart or kidney failure. Also, information about ethnicity was not available. More studies are needed to confirm that these results apply to the general population.