Grapefruit juice may impose risk on patients with long QT syndrome

In a study led by SADS Foundation Scientific Advisor Sami Viskin, MD, et al, it was shown that grapefruit juice, at doses tested, prolongs the QT interval. The effect is significant in healthy volunteers, larger in females and more so in patients with long QT syndrome.

In comparison to off-drugs ECGs, grapefruit juice led to significant QTc prolongation. The absolute net QTc prolongation from grapefruit was 14.0 msec [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.2-21.7 msec, p<0.001]. The QT-prolonging effects of grapefruit in healthy volunteers were comparable to those of moxifloxacin. The QT-prolonging effects of grapefruit juice were greater in females and particularly marked in long-QT patients [net QTc-prolongation of 21.8 msec (95% CI 3.4-35.3 msec, p=0.034)].

Click Here to read the full article