title: Is impairment of ischaemic preconditioning by sulfonylurea drugs clinically important?
abstract: In the UGDP study, published in the 1970s, a high incidence of cardiovascular mortality was found in patients treated with the sulfonylurea agent tolbutamide. Impaired ischaemic preconditioning is presumed to be the most important mechanism for the excess cardiovascular mortality observed. However, as tolbutamide has only a low affinity for cardiac sulfonylurea receptors, interference with ischaemic preconditioning seems unlikely to account for this excess mortality. Several smaller studies also failed to establish a definite link between sulfonylurea treatment before acute myocardial infarction and in-hospital mortality. However, when the myocardium becomes exposed to repeated or prolonged periods of ischaemia, ischaemic preconditioning may become clinically important. Myocardial ischaemia can also develop during emergency or elective angioplasty and during coronary bypass surgery. Therefore discontinuation of sulfonylurea treatment should be considered in these circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Diabeteszentrum Bad Lauterberg, Bad Lauterberg im Harz, Germany.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gallwitz
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mügge
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nauck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014044:Tolbutamide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds; D014044:Tolbutamide