Taking antibiotics weekly for a year does not reduce the risk of a heart attack or other cardiac event for patients with stable coronary artery disease, according to a University of Washington study. The study was published in the April 22 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Previous studies have found the bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae in the arterial plaque of patients with coronary artery disease. Some doctors have reasoned that removal of C. pneumoniae from the system could reduce the risk of subsequent cardiac events. Prescription of antibiotics for this purpose had not been tested through a randomized clinical trial. The investigation of whether antibiotics could be used to treat the bacteria, and therefore reduce the risk of cardiac events, was conducted at 27 different sites in the United States.
