Statins Wider Uses

Michael R. Dobbs, M Neurologist What the news means for you Neurosciences January 6, 2009 Statins shown to have wider use in stroke prevention (continued on back) (continued on back) Despite the fact that high levels of low-density lipoprotein,... More

Michael R. Dobbs, M Neurologist What the news means for you Neurosciences January 6, 2009 Statins shown to have wider use in stroke prevention (continued on back) (continued on back) Despite the fact that high levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, have long been associated with cardiovascular events, half of all strokes and heart attacks occur in people with low LDL levels. Now, a large international study suggests that inflammation levels in the blood may be a better marker for cardiovascular events in this population and the cholesterolfighting drugs could be beneficial. The study involved 17,800 healthy men and women with low LDL levels (less than 130 mg/dL) who had high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of 2. 0 mg/L or more. Since cholesterol-fighting statins are known to reduce levels of CRP, the researchers wanted to find out whether these statins might help people with high CRP levels and low LDL levels. The results were so st Less