Real world effectiveness of Hawthorn special extract WS 1442 in a retrospective cohort study from Germany

Abstract Hawthorn special extract WS 1442 has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Experimental studies have shown an antiarrhythmic effect of the substance. In the present study, we investigated antiarrhythmic effects of WS 1442 compared with magnesium/potassium in a large collective of outpatients. Using the IQVIA Disease Analyzer (DA) database, we included 4550 patients with a prescription of WS 1442 and 4550 matched patients with Tromcardin prescriptions (all registered products under the trademark Tromcardin that are magnesium and potassium supplementing foods for special medical purposes) who were followed for 5 years after the index date. The incidence of various cardiac arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation and flutter (AFF), tachycardia, and other cardiac arrhythmias) was recorded. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the potential association between both drugs and arrhythmias. The cumulative incidence of atrial fibrillation and flutter was significantly lower among patients with a prescription of WS 1442 compared to patients with magnesium/potassium prescriptions (10.8% vs. 16.4%, p