United States: A new clinical study has found that weight-loss medications can reduce heart failure. In the study, US researchers discovered that semaglutide reduced the symptoms of heart failure. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A study involving 529 patients found that taking a 2.4-milligramme weekly dose of semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy for weight loss, resulted in a 17-point improvement on a 100-point scale used to evaluate symptoms of a condition called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
“We are talking about marked improvements in symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, inability to have physical exertion, and swelling. These types of improvements can be very impactful for patients living with heart failure,” the lead author, Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, a cardiologist and vice president for research at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, stated.
Everyone in the study had a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 30, along with symptoms of heart failure and restrictions in physical activity. People with a medium age of 69 and a medium weight of 105.1kg (231.7lb) participated.
In this study, one group received a weekly dose of 2.4mg of semaglutide for a year, while the other group received a placebo. The researchers evaluated changes in body weight and heart failure-related symptoms using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire’s clinical summary score (CSS).
After 52 weeks, the mean change on the KCCQ-CSS was 16.6 points for patients on the weight-loss jabs compared with 8.7 points in the placebo group, as per the statement.
Additionally, individuals taking the medication experienced a mean reduction in body weight of 13.3 percent, while those not on the medication only saw a 2.6 percent decrease.
For those taking Wegovy, the average increase in walking distance over six minutes was 21.5 metres, whereas in the placebo group, it was only 1.2 metres.
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