A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials concluded that colchicine treatment may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The analysis included 5 randomized controlled trials with follow-up duration ≥6 months, comprising a total of 11,790 patients with CAD. Compared with placebo or no treatment, colchicine treatment was associated with a significantly lower incidence of major cardiovascular events (relative risk [RR] 0.65). Such a benefit was not modified by the clinical phenotype of CAD (p for interaction = 0.34). Colchicine treatment also decreased the risk of myocardial infarction (RR 0.73), coronary revascularization (RR 0.61) and stroke (RR 0.47) in CAD patients, but with no impact on cardiovascular mortality. In addition, the rates of common adverse events were generally similar between colchicine and control groups, including non-cardiovascular deaths (RR 1.50) and gastrointestinal symptoms (RR 1.05). The benefits of colchicine may be due to its broad anti-inflammatory properties. Source: https://www.ajconline.org/
