Healthy people take a cholesterol drug to prevent heart disease, even if they are not high cholesterol?
For some people, the answer is Yes. There is a controversy response, which raises many questions. Here are the answers of WebMD.
Who should consider Statins to prevent heart disease?
In February 2010, the FDA approved the AstraZeneca CRESTOR statin drug to prevent heart disease of the first time. The approval is for people who meet the following conditions:
* Age: 50 or older men or women 60-Beaver
* Blood levels of protein C - reactive (CRP, to, or greater than 2 mg / L, measured by the test of the HsCRP)
On at least an other risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, low HDL-cholesterol "good", smoking or a family history of premature heart disease
A high level of "bad" LDL-cholesterol is only on this list. Why? LDL cholesterol is a major contributor to heart disease. But half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in people apparently in good health with LDL cholesterol below the current level of importance.
Can a Statin medication such patients? A contentious idea people with normal cholesterol but high CRP Statin - AstraZeneca CRESTOR - test. CRP is a measure of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is an important part of the process to heart disease.
The JUPITER clinical trial, is sponsored by AstraZeneca more than 50 years of 17 802 men and women, more than 60 years with high levels of CRP, but with LDL-cholesterol 130 mg / dL (their was 108 mg / dL LDL average).
An independent Review Committee considered that the study after two years when it became clear that patients, the further placebo heart attack, stroke, angina pectoris, chest (heart pain) and death from cardiovascular disease than among 20 milligrams of CRESTOR daily.
Nevertheless, the risk was not extreme. Were there 8 901 and 142 events in the CRESTOR 251 events in patients with heart in placebo. But this relative reduction of 44% is registered as in clinical trials of statins, the patients with high levels of LDL cholesterol twice as large.
What should consider CRESTOR or perhaps a different Statin to prevent heart disease? The answer: Men 50 years or older and the women of 60 years or with relatively low cholesterol, but with other factors, with high risk of heart disease, therapy with their doctors statin, above all, if they have high CRP.
Vary the results of this discussion. Different people have different constellations of the risk of heart disease and the different reasons they should or not like Statins used.
Whether to start taking statins is no easy decision. Once a person begins, statin therapy, can treatment continue for life. And cheaper while generic medication, treatment is not cheap. CRESTOR, which is not as a generic drug, costs about $3.45 per day.
Statins currently on the market include CRESTOR, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol and zocor. The trial version of JUPITER is not the first to show that statins can avoid heart events in people with normal cholesterol levels.
CRESTOR is however the only Statin approved by the FDA for the prevention of heart disease for the first time people without high cholesterol.
It is indeed tempting to, close from available data, that all Statin effective doses which could have the same effect has been proven it not in clinical trials. And not all Statins are the same. Some have more powerful effects at low doses, and some are rather than cause other side effects.
Causes CRP heart disease?
Few questions is more claimed by researchers, that the role of the protein C - reactive (CRP) plays in heart disease.
Inflammation increases cholesterol-packed artery walls, expose the lining of the arteries to break or burst. Where the coating of an arterial wall is affected, a cascade of events is set to the wide range, which can cause to the formation of a blood clot, a fatal heart attack or stroke.
Some studies suggest that CRP plays an important role in the development of heart disease. Others suggest that it simply a marker for the process is the real culprit, while reject other CRP as a distraction.
The consensus of opinion is that high levels of CRP indicate a high risk for heart disease.
In the study of JUPITER, the participants CRP levels was very high – at least 2 mg / l. But even CRP has not identified patients with heart disease risk reduced by statin therapy. All patients who have benefited had at least an other traditional risk factor for heart disease: family history of premature heart disease, high blood pressure, smoking or low HDL cholesterol "good".
What are the risks of Statins for people who are not high levels of LDL cholesterol?
CRESTOR and other statins are without risk. This means that these risks should be weighed carefully against the expected benefits.
Statins are a number of minor side effects. Thus also a rare but serious side effect associated: breakdown of muscle.
In its mildest form, it is called Myositis, painful inflammation of the muscles. The muscle CPK can contain an enzyme to the blood. The most severe form of the rupture of the muscle is rhabdomyolysis, where all the bodies are painful and less muscles. A barrage of muscle protein in the kidneys collects and can lead to kidney failure and death.
A major problem associated with statin is an increased risk for diabetes. This risk was released in the first instance, Jupiter, where CRESTOR diabetes than those on a placebo developed under more people.
Analysis 2010 increased that of statin studies suggest that risk of diabetes with all statins, not only of CRESTOR is related. It seems more common in patients over 60 years.
What is the risk? The study found that if 255 patients take a Statin for four years, drugs leads a further case of diabetes. During this time, the drug would prevent 5.4 deaths in connection with the heart or heart attack. Overall the advantage of Statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease is nine times greater than the risk of drugs, the increase in the risk of diabetes.
However this observation suggest that older patients that their blood sugar levels regularly should have checked the statins.