Statins reduce heart risk in diabetic patients with kidney disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that pravastatin cuts the risk of heart attack in patients with diabetes and kidney disease.
Having diabetes is known to increase the risk of kidney disease. And both are independent risk factors for heart disease. Now a team at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, shows that a cholesterol-lowering drug - or statin - can help reduce the risk of heart attack and heart problems in this group.

The international study covered nearly 20,000 patients in three different clinical trials, Around three per cent were affected by both kidney disease and diabetes. Pravastatin, one of the statin drugs, reduced heart attack, death from heart attack, and the need for surgery for heart disease in all groups; by 24 per cent generally and by 25 per cent in the group with kidney disease and diabetes. Till now, it's not been known how far statins benefit those with these risk factors.

The findings suggest that those with diabetes and/or kidney disease might have much to gain from statins. They are a high risk group and so the benefit from such an intervention could be quite significant.

Source
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology December 2005

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