Chelation therapy to treat atherosclerosis, particularly in diabetes: is it time to reconsider?

INTRODUCTION

Case reports and case series have suggested a possible beneficial effect of chelation therapy in patients with atherosclerotic disease. Small randomized trials conducted in patients with angina or peripheral artery disease, however, were not sufficiently powered to provide conclusive evidence on clinical outcomes.

AREAS COVERED: The Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) was the first randomized trial adequately powered to detect the effects of chelation therapy on clinical endpoints. We discuss results and future research. Expert commentary: Chelation reduced adverse cardiovascular events in a post myocardial infarction (MI) population. Patients with diabetes demonstrated even greater benefit, with a number needed to treat of 6.5 patients to prevent a cardiac event over 5 years, with a 41% relative reduction in risk of a cardiac event (p = 0.0002). These results led to the revision of the ACC/AHA guideline recommendations for chelation therapy, changing its classification from class III to class IIb. TACT2, a replicative trial, will assess the effects of chelation therapy on cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients with a prior myocardial infarction. We are seeking participating sites for TACT2.