UMCG cardiologists found low-dose digoxin reduces heart failure hospitalizations by approximately 25%. Nature Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published the findings. Researchers also presented the results at the ESC Heart Failure Congress.
Current standard care for heart failure relies on a combination of four drugs. Digoxin could serve as an effective fifth treatment for the condition. These results suggest the medication may soon be incorporated into official treatment guidelines.
Digoxin costs less than ten cents per day. The treatment offers a potential solution to reduce the economic burden of heart failure on healthcare systems. It aims to improve patient quality of life by cutting repeat hospital visits.