Lung disease treatment carries heart risks

"The long-term use of inhaled drugs, referred to as 'anticholinergic,' such as ipratropium and tiotropium, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, the results of a review study suggest. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, incorporates two principal diseases, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Both conditions are strongly linked to smoking and involve difficulty in moving air through the lungs. Both can also be severely disabling and have life-threatening complications. The findings mirror those of a study on ipratropium use in COPD reported last week in the Annals of Internal Medicine" - Reuters