Autumn is here, and citrus fruits such as grapefruit , oranges, lime are on the market in large quantities. These fruits have sweet and sour taste and are full of juice, which is very popular among the public. However, recently, 75-year-old Uncle Mao was unwell because of eating grapefruit and even went to the hospital. What's going on?
Recently, 75-year-old Mao came to Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital for treatment. Uncle Mao had stents for many years due to coronary heart disease in his early years. Over the years, he has been taking drugs that lower blood pressure, lipids, and antiplatelet aggregation, and his regular follow-up visits have been very stable.
However, in recent days, he has often felt dizzy, fatigue, muscle soreness and discomfort, and his condition is getting worse and worse. So, with the company of his family, he hurried to the doctor for treatment.
Huang Qi, deputy chief physician of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital: The result was found that his liver enzyme and muscle enzyme were very high, both of which increased many times. First of all, it was considered the side effects caused by statin drugs. Then he mentioned that his daughter bought him fruits such as grapefruit for him recently during the holidays. He ate these two boxes of fruits in two days. We think it has something to do with this.
Doctor introduced that the statin drug that Uncle Mao takes needs to metabolize the drug through relevant enzymes in the body. The "furancoumarin" rich in grapefruit will inhibit the activity of enzymes such as the liver, causing the drug to metabolize the rate of the drug to decrease. Over time, drugs that cannot be absorbed will accumulate in the liver, and the side effects of the drug will be enhanced.
Huang Qi, deputy chief physician of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital: Whether it is hypertension , coronary heart disease, or even diabetes , or high blood lipids and tumors need to take medication regularly for a long time, try to avoid eating grapefruit, because eating grapefruit will affect the concentration of the drug for at least three days, so try to avoid it.
Doctor reminds that in addition to grapefruit, other citrus fruits, such as grapefruit, oranges, and lime, also contain "furancoumarin". However, the concentration is not as high as grapefruit. People who need to take medicine for a long time can eat it in small quantities.
( Wenzhou Metropolis Daily )
