Lithium and the heart: unanswered questions

Lithium carbonate has been of the most frequently used drugs in the treatment of affective disorders. There was an initial reluctance to prescribe the drug in the United States as lithium chloride had been linked to several cardiac deaths when used as a salt substitute in the treatment of hypertensi...

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Veröffentlicht in:Chest 1988, Vol.93 (1), p.166-169
Hauptverfasser: BRADY, H. R, HORGAN, J. H
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Lithium carbonate has been of the most frequently used drugs in the treatment of affective disorders. There was an initial reluctance to prescribe the drug in the United States as lithium chloride had been linked to several cardiac deaths when used as a salt substitute in the treatment of hypertension. A more critical review of these cases revealed that arrhythmias and hypotension were terminal events in comatose moribund patients and were difficult to ascribe to lithium alone. These observations persuaded the Federal Drug Administration to approve the drug in 1970. Since then, lithium has been implicated in the causation of a variety of cardiac abnormalities. Review of the literature reveals many unanswered questions regarding the prevalence and clinical significance of lithium-related cardiac abnormalities, making it difficult to judge the cardiotoxicity.
ISSN:0012-3692
1931-3543
DOI:10.1378/chest.93.1.166