Are You a Heart Attack Survivor? (NAPSA)—TheNational Insti- tutes of Health is conducting a nationwide study on the safety and effectiveness of chelation therapy, an investigational treatment for people ages 50 and older with heart disease. Chelation (pronounced keylay-shun) therapy is an investigational therapy using a manmade amino acid, called EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid). It is added to the blood through a vein. “Many people are considering using chelation therapy because of the belief that it may treat heart disease. However, this has not yet been scientifically proven. Past studies did not show a benefit but may have been too small to be conclusive,” said Gervasio Lamas, M.D., principal investigator of the study. “We are committed to working with the NIH to find the answer to this important public health question.” More than 100 medicalinstitutions across the country have been selected to take part in the Chelation Therapy Study. It is the largest national clinical research study to evaluate the therapy’s effectiveness and safety as a treatmentfor heart disease. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death of Americans, affecting more than 13 million people and killing 500,000 people each year. It occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become hard- ened and narrowed due to the buildup of fatty materials like cholesterol, on the inner walls of the arteries, decreasing the oxygen supply to the heart muscle. In a heart attack, a blood clot forms in the narrowed artery and completely blocks oxygen flow. The NIH investigational treatment is a combination of chelation therapy and high-dose vitamin therapy compared with placebo (inactive treatment). The new study, more than 20 times larger than any previous study of chelation therapy, is designed to be large enough to detect even moderate benefits associated with this therapy. Study participants will be assigned randomly to receive a standardized chelation solution or a placebo solution over a period of 28 months. Because chelation therapy may also remove important vitamins and minerals the body needs, all study participants will take low-dose vitamin and mineral supplements. In addition, some participants will receive a high-dose vitamin and mineral supplement. The study will also evaluate whether high-dose vitamins and mineralsare helpful. Those who join the study will be part of a nationwide effort to help the medical community find new and effective treatments for heart disease. To learn more about joining the study, call 1-888-644-6226 or visit http://necam.nih.gov/chelation.
