Publications by authors named "Alan Begg"
Background: Allopurinol is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor that lowers serum uric acid and is used to prevent acute gout flares in patients with gout. Observational and small interventional studies have suggested beneficial cardiovascular effects of allopurinol.
Objective: To determine whether allopurinol improves major cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ischaemic heart disease.
Background: Allopurinol is a urate-lowering therapy used to treat patients with gout. Previous studies have shown that allopurinol has positive effects on several cardiovascular parameters. The ALL-HEART study aimed to determine whether allopurinol therapy improves major cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ischaemic heart disease.
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- Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading cause of death in the UK, prompting the ALL-HEART study to investigate whether allopurinol, a drug usually used for gout, can improve cardiovascular outcomes in IHD patients.
- The study involves a randomised trial of 5215 patients aged 60 and over, comparing allopurinol treatment with no treatment while monitoring various health outcomes over an average of 4 years.
- Ethical approval has been granted, and results are anticipated after 2019 for dissemination through scientific publications and to relevant health organizations.
Aims: Adherence to evidence-based treatments and its consequences after acute myocardial infarction (MI) are poorly defined. We examined the extent to which clopidogrel treatment initiated in hospital is continued in primary care; the factors predictive of clopidogrel discontinuation and the hazard of death or recurrent MI.
Methods And Results: We linked the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project registry and the General Practice Research Database to examine adherence to clopidogrel in primary care among patients discharged from hospital after MI (2003-2009).