A commonly prescribed antidepressant was found to be effective in restoring function in mice with heart failure, according to a March 4 report published by researchers at Temple University School of Medicine.
Paroxetine, more commonly known as Paxil, inhibited a specific enzyme as a side effect. An abundance of that enzyme has been linked, through previous studies, to heart failure. Dr. Walter Koch, one of the study's lead researchers, said the drug's effect on mice warrants further research.
"This may open the way for a new class of therapies for a disease for which we lack effective interventions," Koch said. "At a minimum, the research suggests that physicians may want to consider prescribing Paroxetine for heart failure patients who also suffer from clinical depression."
Patients with heart disease are typically treated with beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, but are not able to reverse the effects — unless they have a heart transplant — once the heart deteriorates. About half the people diagnosed with heart failure die within five years, according to Temple.
There are 5.1 million Americans living with heart failure and about half a million are diagnosed each year. Those numbers are projected to go up 25 percent by 2030.
