Statin cholesterol lowering agents lower the risk of vascular events and provide cardioprotective effects
Using statin drugs to lower low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can help decrease the incidence of major heart events, such as heart attack, stroke, and coronary revascularization, according to a study reported in the Lancet.Researchers reviewed data from 14 clinical studies covering 90,056 patients (ages ranging from 19 to 82 years of age) who used statin drugs to lower their LDL cholesterol for an average of 5 years. All the patients were separated into either a group that received a statin drug or a control group that did not receive a statin drug. The researchers determined how much lower the statin-users' cholesterol levels were after using the statins for extended periods of time, and if these lower LDL cholesterol levels decreased the chances for certain heart problems and death.
The review showed there was a decrease in death rate within the statin therapy group compared with the control group, relative to the amount that the statin-users' cholesterol levels were reduced. The incidence of major heart problems or events was also decreased in the statin therapy group when compared with the control group. Overall, lowering LDL cholesterol with statins reduced a patient's chance of heart attack, stroke, and other major heart events by approximately 20% for each mmol/L the LDL cholesterol was lowered.
Cholesterol Treatment Trialists'(CTT) Collaborators: Efficacy and safety of cholesterol-lowing treatment: prospective meta-analysis of data from 90 056 participants in 14 randomised trials of statins.Lancet. 2005;366:1267-78.