from journal PLoS One
Competition is often considered healthy, but therapeutic competition is not. A study from Oregon State University and Yale University School of Medicine looked at the issue of multiple chronic health conditions, which affects three out of four older Americans. One in five older Americans, some nine million people, might be taking medication that helps one condition, but might actually compete with medication taken for another condition. The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, says as an example, patients who have both coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD may take a beta blocker medication for heart disease, but some could cause airway resistance that worsens COPD. They call for more awareness of therapeutic competition. It’s an issue to discuss with your doctor and pharmacist.