A new study by Dutch researchers found that common prescription medications such as antibiotics and medicines used for gastrointestinal complaints, are responsible for approximately 15,000 deaths per year in the United States and Europe by causing problems with the human heart. It is estimated that the chance of heart problems increases threefold as a result of taking these medications.

The study, published in the latest issue of the 'European Heart Journal,' found that these medications interfere with the body's electrical activity that controls the rate of the human heart. Among the medications mentioned by the study were antibiotics like erythromycin and clarithromycin and gastrointestinal medicines like cisapride and domperidone.

The study examined 775 cardiac cases in the Netherlands and then used that model to determine the number of cardiac deaths the medications were responsible for in the rest of Europe and the United States.

The medications lengthened the user's QTc interval which is an electrical activity linked to the contraction of the heart muscle.

Despite the findings, Dr. Bruno Stricker, the leader of the research team, indicated that these medications also do a lot of good. 'These drugs are vital treatments for serious conditions in many cases, so it is essential that patients should not stop taking them on their own initiative,' Stricker warned. He said it was best to consult your doctor about the medications and that only three out of every 1,000 people taking the drugs might die each year.

The risks were highest for the first 90 days that the patient takes the medications. The risk was also higher among older patients and women.

It is important that patients make educated decisions and consult with their doctors.