Colchicine is a medication primarily used to prevent gout attacks. It is also used to percent pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever. However, recent studies have suggested that the anti-inflammatory effects of colchicine can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). This study aims to evaluate the cardiovascular effects of colchicine.
This controlled, double-blind, randomized trial included a total of 5,522 patients with chronic coronary disease. The patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive 0.5 mg of colchicine once daily (n=2,762) or matching placebo (n=2,760). The primary outcome of the study was a composite of cardiovascular death, ischemic stroke, spontaneous myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven coronary revascularization.
During a median follow-up of 28.6 months, a primary endpoint event occurred in 187 patients (6.8%) in the colchicine group and 264 patients (9.6%) in the placebo group. The incidence of all endpoints, including cardiovascular death, spontaneous myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven coronary revascularization was significantly lower in the colchicine group. However, the incidence of death due to noncardiovascular causes was higher in the colchicine group (0.7 vs. 0.5 events per 100 person-years).
The research concluded that in patients with chronic coronary disease, the risk of cardiovascular events was substantially lower in patients who received colchicine.
Ref: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2021372
