Drugs Provide Same Benefit as Angioplasty for Diabetics, at Lower Cost

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers say medications provide the same amount of protection as angioplasty in treating type-2 diabetics, and new insight shows the choice could be a significant money saver.

In an NIH trial, more than 2,000 patient with type-2 diabetes took medications including statins, aspirin, beta-blockers and either ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers. Accumulated costs over four years show sticking with drug treatment rather than undergoing angioplasty saved an average of $11,000 per patient.

While a recent study funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found angioplasty and drug treatment were equally effective at preventing heart attacks and death in patients with mild-to-moderate heart disease symptoms, the NIH study focused on patients with type-2 diabetes since they have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as a greater risk of heart attack and death resulting from the disease. Results show medication works as well as angioplasty in patients with type-2 diabetes.

"For patients with relatively mild symptoms of heart disease, angioplasty is clearly more expensive and it's clearly not more beneficial," Mark Hlatky, M.D., professor of health research and policy and cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University, was quoted as saying.

The average cost of treatment for all patients in the study was $70,000 over four years.

Source: Circulation, November 17, 2009

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