Calcitonin a cure for A.F.

[seasider18]

A hormone that helps keep our bones strong could be a powerful new treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), the UK’s most common heart rhythm disorder, researchers from the University of Oxford said in November.

In the 1.4 million Britons with AF, the electrical impulses in the heart’s upper chambers (atria) have gone haywire as a result of scarring to the heart tissue (typically due to ageing, high blood pressure or heart disease). This leads to an irregular or ‘fluttering’ heartbeat which increases the risk of a stroke five-fold, as it means blood can pool in the heart.

Current treatments work by restoring the natural rhythm by, for example, shocking it back into step; or by cutting the risk of a stroke with the use of blood-thinning drugs. But they do not work for everyone and none address the atrial scarring that is at the root of the condition.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), better treatment could prevent 7,000 strokes and save over 2,000 lives a year in England alone.

A hormone that helps keep our bones strong could be a powerful new treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), the UK’s most common heart rhythm disorder, researchers from the University of Oxford said in November+5

A hormone that helps keep our bones strong could be a powerful new treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), the UK’s most common heart rhythm disorder, researchers from the University of Oxford said in November

Now, experiments on mice and cells from heart patients, reported in the journal Nature, show that calcitonin, a bone hormone that was thought to be produced only by the thyroid gland, is also made by cells in the atria. And this research, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, also found that higher levels reduced scarring and even prevented AF.

‘The most severe risk with AF is that it predisposes to blood clots forming in the heart that can dislodge to cause stroke, which often requires patients to take lifelong blood-thinning drugs that themselves can cause problems such as bleeding,’ says Tim Chico, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield.

‘Any treatment that could prevent or reverse someone’s tendency to have AF would be a major breakthrough.’

[CDreamer]

Hi - I think this has been posted a month or so ago.

It’s interesting but I wouldn’t hold my breath for it’s availability for prescription for a good few years!

[seasider18 in reply to CDreamer]

The Daily Mail is evidently slow on the uptake again as it was only in a health article yesterday

[CDreamer in reply to seasider18]

They save up the medical articles for a slow news day. There was too much else going on when the original medical article was released. I’ve noticed that they do that and recycle a lot of stuff.

[seasider18 in reply to CDreamer]

Some news like Meghan and her other half I wish they would slow down

[BobD Volunteer in reply to seasider18]

At least is wasn't the Grauniad!

[seasider18 in reply to BobD]

A recent article in the Mail said that men taking Viagra for ED were finding improvement in heart conditions and it is to be investigated. Have they forgotten that viagra was delveloped for heart conditions before men in the trials in Wales found the added benefit and refused to come off it.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to seasider18]

Dooh!

[meadfoot]

I have met Dr Chico, he is so dedicated to his field of medicine and very enthusiastic, approachable too. He will most certainly be drilling down into this subject, he seems very tenacious. Heres hoping he is on to something. He also has done a lot of work on zebra fish. His talk on the subject was fascinating.

[Tricia239 in reply to meadfoot]

Sorry, am I being dumb, but what’s the relevance of zebra fish?

[Hidden in reply to Tricia239]

It’s all about inducing AF in zebra fish embryos. I’m amazed you didn’t know that...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Tricia239 in reply to Hidden]

Really?!

[Hidden in reply to Tricia239]

🙂

[Trish5 in reply to Hidden]

I think a lot of people don't know that!

[Hidden in reply to Trish5]

🙂

[Jalia in reply to Tricia239]

I think I am correct in saying that zebra fish are used in research by BHF to discover how they ...the fish...are able to regenerate their damaged hearts !

[Tricia239 in reply to Jalia]

Oh, fascinating. I would never have thought we had that much in common with any fish. Interesting, thank you.

[meadfoot in reply to Tricia239]

Have a look on british heart foundation you tube there is a short video by Tim Chico called the science of zebra fish and how studies he and his team are undertaking aim to help understand human cardiac activity better and hopefully translate into better understanding in humans.

I first came across him when he gave a talk on zebra fish in relation to human heart studies at a hospital trust governor's meeting. It was fascinating.

[Tricia239 in reply to meadfoot]

Thanks. I'll do that

[Hidden]

Thanks. Another reason for optimism!

medicalxpress.com/news/2020...

[RajaRua in reply to Hidden]

Great article thank you!I find it very exciting indeed!

[seasider18 in reply to RajaRua]

The bit about atrial scarring being at the root of the condition is new to me. I didn't have AF until I had my aortic valve replaced in 2012. Then I was told that about 40% of patients are in AF but most get over it.

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes this pops up from time to time but we will all be long gone before they find a cure that works for everyone I suspect.

[seasider18 in reply to BobD]

I might be gone before I get some other medical treatments due to Covid delaying everything.

[FancyPants54]

Well that would be helped if they gave hypothyroid people like me correct medication instead of cheap tat! Natural desiccated thyroid tablets contain Calcitonin as well as other essentials. But no, we have to make do with the tat. If we are really, terribly ill and we see an Endocrinologist who doesn't just focus on diabetes, we might get some T3 thrown into the mix. But they won't use Natural Desiccated Thyroid if they can help it. And it would be good for us.

[Auriculaire in reply to FancyPants54]

It's too complicated for them. NDT alone is not suitable for everybody as the proportion of T3 is too high because pig thyroids produce more T3 than human ones. This can easily be rectified by using an NDT /Levothyroxine combo and tweaking. Most docs are terrified by the dramatic drop in TSH that T3 often provokes. On one grain of Armour plus 50mcg of Levo my TSH was always way below the bottom of the normal range though my Free Ts were always within range. My endo was ok with this and said that was normal with a T3 med but when I had my first afib attack the cardiologist freaked out despite the within range free Ts. Most docs seem to be completely unaware that a normal thyroid produces around 9mcg T3 daily and that without that conversion of T4 to T3 will allways shortchange the patient.

[RajaRua]

I've never seen this on here before and I'm delighted to read it! I was only thinking this morning (for the umpteenth time!) about how I'd so love to get off Flecanide! and Apixaban!

[Lynnsj63]

Thanks for sharing this. What an interesting read, shows great research and progress is being made and more learnt about a.f. I didn't know there was atrial scarring and that this caused the a.f. I thought it was chaotic electrical impulses caused our a.f. What do I know, not a lot probably. 🤔🙄😊

[seasider18 in reply to Lynnsj63]

I'm hoping that one of our learned readers will have somethibg to tell us on atrial scarring and its cause.Mean time I Google it.

[seasider18 in reply to Lynnsj63]

However it you read about ablation it says that it uses scarring on the atrium as the treatment

[Lynnsj63 in reply to seasider18]

Yes that is true. I have heard that also, that the scarring created during the ablation is part of the treatment.

[Lynnsj63]

Yes I will wait for their replies too. 👍

[Carew]

Pity that calcitonin was largely withdrawn a few years back because it was suspected of causing cancer.

[seasider18 in reply to Carew]

The body produces it's own calcitonin.

[Carew in reply to seasider18]

The point is that exogenous calcitonin was largely withdrawn.

Obviously they cannot withdraw your own! (Unless there is some calcitonin suppressant medicine.)

And I don't know any proposed mechanism by which it might be thought to cause cancer. But quite possibly something to do with the levels achieved (which very often spike very high when exogenous replacement substances are taken) or the route of delivery?

Calcitonin (Miacalcic): increased risk of cancer with long-term use

Calcitonin-containing medicines should no longer be used in treatment of osteoporosis.

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/c...

Perhaps, in Afib, the benefit/risk evaluation is more in favour of its use?