Statins
« Previous EntriesEarly statin initiation after acute myocardial infarction improves 1-year outcomes
Sunday, March 6th, 2011Source: MedWire News
Early initiation of statin therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with improved clinical outcomes at 1 year, study findings suggest.
The research was undertaken by Youngkeun Ahn (Chonnam National University Hospital, Republic of Korea) and co-workers, and included a series of 1159 patients who were admitted to hospital with AMI [...]
Absolute benefits of statins greater for older patients
Monday, February 28th, 2011Source: MedWire News
Study findings suggest that statin therapy is more effective in reducing the risk for major cardiovascular (CV) events in older than younger patients at moderate risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Older patients (≥65 years) are known to experience higher rates of CVD than younger patients (<65 years), but less is known about the effectiveness [...]
Statins protect against major events following vascular surgery
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011Source: MedWire News
French researchers say that pre-operative statin therapy may protect patients undergoing vascular surgery from major adverse postoperative events.
Yannick Le Manach (CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris) and colleagues show that in patients undergoing aortic reconstruction, chronic statin treatment reduces the risk for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and renal failure.
The team also shows that statin therapy is [...]
Statins reduce CVD risk in Chinese Type 2 diabetes patients by up to 50%
Friday, November 26th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Statins can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 40-50% in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes, research suggests.
The study also showed that high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol predicted incident CVD. In contrast, triglycerides had no significant predictive value.
The findings come from [...]
Lipid levels predict CHD risk in elderly patients receiving statins
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010Source: MedWire News
In elderly patients, lipid levels are stronger predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) among those receiving statins than those who are not receiving lipid-lowering therapy, researchers say.
Céline Straczek (Paris Descartes University, France) and colleagues show that standard lipid measures, non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol, and apolipoprotein (apo)B100 are all independent predictors of CHD among [...]
Intensive statin therapy reduces CV risk
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Patients at high risk for cardiovascular (CV) events may benefit from intensive lipid-lowering therapy, even if their baseline level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is already less than 2 mmol/l (77.3 mg/dl), research suggests.
Writing in The Lancet, two research groups (Study of the Effectiveness of Additional Reductions in Cholesterol and Homocysteine [SEARCH] and Cholesterol [...]
Statins reduce markers of inflammation
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010Source: MedWire News
Statin therapy is associated with significant reductions in inflammatory parameters such as white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP), an analysis of US population data indicates.
The investigators say their results support the hypothesis that statins have anti-inflammatory properties, although they admit the potential mechanisms underlying such an effect are uncertain.
Sung Sug [...]
UK Researchers Say Fast Food Outlets Should Consider Handing Out Statins.
Monday, August 16th, 2010Source: DIA Daily
BBC News (8/13) reports that “fast food outlets should consider handing out cholesterol-lowering drugs to combat the effects of fatty food, say UK researchers.”
The UK’s Independent (8/13, Laurance) reports, “Darrel Francis from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, says in the American Journal of [...]
Statins may have dual action on vulnerable plaque
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Statin therapy may stabilize vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque by decreasing total atheroma volume and increasing fibrous cap thickness, a study suggests.
Reductions in total atheroma volume were associated with decreases in the ratio of low- to high-density lipoprotein (LDL/HDL) cholesterol, whereas a reduction in corresponding fibrous cap thickness was related to lowered levels of high-sensitivity [...]
HMG-CoA reductase enzyme could add to plaque instability
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010Source: MedWire News
South-Korean researchers have discovered that hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase may contribute to coronary artery plaque instability, which could help to explain some early benefits of statin therapy.
They found HMG-CoA reductase in coronary atherosclerotic plaques, and showed that levels were greater in plaques that were unstable. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that cells immunopositive for [...]
