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Severe symptomatic sinus bradycardia associated with mesalamine use
S Asirvatham1, C Sebastian, U Thadani
1Department of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190, USA.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology
|March 28, 1998
Summary
Mesalamine can cause serious heart problems like hypotension and bradycardia in ulcerative colitis patients. Use this medication cautiously, especially if there
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
- Mesalamine is a common treatment for UC.
- Cardiac adverse events are rare but serious complications of mesalamine therapy.
Observation:
- A 29-year-old woman with UC developed symptomatic hypotension and severe sinus bradycardia within hours of receiving intravenous mesalamine.
- These cardiac symptoms resolved upon mesalamine discontinuation.
- The patient experienced a recurrence of symptoms upon re-challenge with mesalamine during a subsequent hospitalization.
Findings:
- Recurrent hypotension and sinus bradycardia were temporally associated with mesalamine administration in a patient with ulcerative colitis.
- The patient had a family history of conduction tissue disease, suggesting a potential predisposition.
- Mesalamine may induce or exacerbate cardiac conduction abnormalities.
Implications:
- Mesalamine should be used with caution in patients with ulcerative colitis, particularly those with a history or predisposition to cardiac conduction tissue disease.
- Clinicians should be vigilant for cardiac adverse events during mesalamine therapy.
- Further investigation into the cardiac safety profile of mesalamine is warranted.
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