Antibiotics Linked to Heart Valve Leakage?
How to Talk to Your Kids about Mental Health
What Happens to Your Brain after Emotional Trauma
How Stress Affects the Adolescent Brain
Can Student Mental Health Days Save Lives?
Teaching Kids to Navigate Fear and Anxiety
How to Support Kids' Mental Health
The Emotions That Fuel Procrastination!
The 10-Minute Superhero Workout
How Parents Should Approach Their Child’s Weight Gain
How to Address Mental Health with Teens
Teen Felt the One Thing She Could Control during COVID was Food
Why Eating Disorders Have Skyrocketed during the Pandemic
Meet Teen Whose Eating Issues Spiraled during the Pandemic
How Teen Brothers are Helping Peers with Mental Health Issues
Teen Brothers Share Their Song about Mental Health
Mom and Daughter Share Immune-Boosting and Healing Soups
Eating Disorder Warning Signs for Parents
When to Talk to Your Kids about Adult Content
Power Life Creator Tony Horton’s 3 Tips for Staying Healthy
Could a certain type of antibiotic increase your risk of developing a leaky heart valve?
Watch: Mice Now Carrying Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria?
The Doctors discuss the results of a study from the University of British Columbia with cardiologist Dr. Joel Kahn, which examined the antibiotic use in 125,000 patients. In the group, some patients took fluoroquinolones, some amoxicillin, and others azithromycin. The study found that those who used fluoroquinolones doubled their risk of developing a leaky heart valve after only 7 to 10 days of using the medication.
Dr. Kahn calls the results of this study "very concerning" and notes that 25 percent of all antibiotics fall in the class of fluoroquinolones. He says these problems (where the collagen in the heart is broken down) are only occurring in 1 to 2 percent of people taking the medication, but when there are millions of doses being prescibed this translates into a large problem, which the FDA is now examining.
Watch: Why It’s So Vital to Know Which Antibiotics You Are Allergic To
The Doctors stress patients who are taking this antibiotic (which in some cases might be the only option) to be aware of the risks and explain if you begin developing chest or ankle pain to speak with your doctor right away and stop taking the medication. They also note that the risk for heart valve leakage increases for older patients and once you are 60 days past taking the antibiotic, your risk is usually gone.
