Meta-analysis Evaluating the Utility of Colchicine in Secondary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Colchicine has shown potential therapeutic benefits in cardiovascular conditions owing to its broad anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of colchicine in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). A systematical search in electronic databases of PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Scopus were carried out to identify eligible studies. Only randomized controlled trials evaluating the cardiovascular effects of colchicine in CAD patients were included. Study-level data of cardiovascular outcomes or adverse events were pooled using random-effect models. We finally 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 administration was associated with a significantly lower incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (relative risk [RR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52 to 0.82). 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, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.98), coronary revascularization (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.89) and stroke (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.81) 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 noncardiovascular deaths (RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.93 to 2.40) and gastrointestinal symptoms (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.22). In conclusion, the results of our meta-analysis demonstrated that colchicine treatment may reduce the risk of future cardiovascular events in CAD patients.