Study points way to lower death rate among Pacific Island, Maori patients

Laaska News  June 13,2011

WELLINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) — Doctors may have to reassess the way they treat Pacific Island and Maori heart attack patients after a New Zealand study showed common heart medicines were less effective on these groups.

The study, by Wellington-based Victoria University and Capital and Coast District Health Board (C&CDHB) could explain why Maori and Pacific Island people were at greater risk of dying from heart attacks, said a statement from the university Sunday.

Researchers tested the effectiveness of anti-platelet drugs, such as aspirin and clopidogrel, that make the platelets (cells in the blood that form clots) less “sticky” and improve blood flow, said the statement.

In New Zealand overall, 38 percent of patients did not respond adequately to the anti-platelet drugs after a heart attack, but the non-response rate for Maori and Pacific Island patients was very high with 57 percent not showing an adequate response.

C&CDHB cardiologist Dr Scott Harding said the drugs had been shown to significantly improve patient outcomes, but overseas studies had found that patients did not respond equally to these drugs.

“As many as 25 to 30 percent of patients tested overseas are not receiving an adequate benefit from this drug treatment. That means they have a higher risk of experiencing another heart attack or dying following their stay in hospital,” said Harding.

“This is an important finding as Maori and Pacific Island patients have a high rate of cardiovascular disease and poor outcomes following heart attacks. This finding could partially explain these poor outcomes,” said Harding, also an adjunct professor at Victoria University.

The study also found that the drug dosage and the presence of diabetes affected the patients’ responses to the drug.

Researchers also tested a newly developed anti-platelet drug called Prasugrel, which was shown to be highly effective in patients who had not responded adequately to the older drugs. Their findings suggested that at-risk groups such as Maori and Pacific Islanders could benefit from receiving Prasugrel.

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