New statin may help even those at low risk of heart disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Rosuvastatin halts early atherosclerosis, according to ultrasound study.
Statins are drugs which can lower cholesterol levels and so reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. There has been some debate over whether they are of benefit to those who are considered to have only a low risk of heart disease. A new study from Wake Forest University now suggests that there is indeed some benefit, in arresting the thickening of the arteries that sets the scene for heart disease.

A group of nearly 1,000 patients received either the latest statin, rosuvastatin, or placebo and had the thickness of the lining of their carotid artery measured by ultrasound. The measurements were made at the start and end of the two year study and at intervals in between. The carotid arteries supply blood to the brain and thickening of the inner walls, which narrows the vessel, is considered an early indicator of heart disease. In these participants, narrowing was already minimal, but it was arrested by being on rosuvastatin.

Moreover, therapy lowered levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL or 'bad' cholesterol) by 49 per cent, on average, during the study, while levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL or 'good' cholesterol) were up by an average of eight per cent. Triglycerides were reduced by 16 per cent. What is needed now is an investigation into whether statins can reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes in low risk groups.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 28th March 2007