Diabetics warned over heart failure (UK)

"A class of drugs used by some diabetics could increase their risk of heart failure and death, experts have said. People taking tablets known as sulphonylureas as their only therapy had a 24% to 61% increased risk of dying and up to a 30% increased risk of heart failure compared with people taking the drug metformin. The researchers said their findings back up current UK guidance that patients should be given metformin as a first treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Only those who cannot tolerate metformin should be given sulphonylureas as their only treatment, they said. The researchers found no increased risk for people taking a combination of metformin and sulphonylureas medicines, although they said more research was needed. Examples of sulphonylureas drugs include glibenclamide, gliclazide, glimerpirizide, glipizide, and gliquidone. Lead researcher Dr Ioanna Tzoulaki, from Imperial College London, said: "When we looked at metformin and sulphonylureas together we didn't see an increased risk of heart failure or death...."" - Press Association