Statins may hold key to heart disease reduction
For people of a certain age, the taking of statins - pharmaceuticals that reduce the levels of 'bad' cholesterol, and raise the levels of 'good' cholesterol - is part of the daily regime. A new US study examined patients with heart disease at 53 centres across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, and found that rosuvastatin has gone further than other statins, and not only improved the balance of cholesterol, but also unblocked fatty arterial thickening or atherosclerosis. 'This finding has never before been observed in a study using statin drugs,' read a statement from the American College of Cardiology, meeting in Atlanta. The drug was also found to lower 'bad' cholesterol and raise 'good' cholesterol by unprecedented amounts. The results could trigger a breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease, Europe's biggest single killer. Blocked arteries are the main cause of heart attacks, and unblocking them would mean fewer heart attacks, and improved quality of life. 'Previous similar studies with statins have shown slowing of coronary disease, but not regression. This regimen significantly lowered bad cholesterol, and surprisingly, markedly increased good cholesterol levels,' said Dr Steven Nissen, of the Cleveland Clinic and lead author of the study. 'We conclude that very low LDL ['bad cholesterol'] levels (below current guidelines), when accompanied by raised HDL ['good cholesterol'], can regress, or partially reverse, the plaque buildup in the coronary arteries.' However, the two-year study has not been greeted with universal acclaim. The drug may have significant side-effects, including kidney problems and rhabdomyolysis (skeletal depletion), and test subjects were given 40mg per day - double the normal dose. Patients experienced an average reduction in the arterial thickening of between 6.8 and 9.1 per cent. The drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, which funded the study, entered into a high-profile spat with the journal The Lancet and US organisation Public Citizen about the safety of rosuvastatin, marketed as Crestor, in 2004. The full results will be published with peer review next month.
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