Search Tag: statins
Esicm-2013-use-of-statin-does-not-improve-survival-in-adults-with-ventilator-associated-pneumonia
2013 11 Oct
Laurent Papazian, M.D., Ph.D., of Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether statin therapy decreased day-28 mortality among intensive care unit patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia. Observational studies have reported that statins improve outcomes of various infections. Ventilator-associated...Read more
Are-you-over-50-better-eat-an-apple
2013 18 Dec
According to researchers 8,500 UK deaths caused by heart attacks and strokes could be avoided each year if every person aged 50 years and over ate one apple a day. Basing their assumptions on modelling rather than scientific study, researchers from the University of Oxford published their findings in the BMJ, stating that apples would boost...Read more
Statins-may-reduce-delirium-in-icu-patients
2014 23 Jan
According to a study recently published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care, admistering statins to critically ill patients before they were admitted to hospital may help prevent delirium, a state of sudden, severe confusion. Lead author Valerie Page, Watford General Hospital in Watford, England,...Read more
Diabetic-heart-attack-survivors-benefit-from-intensive-insulin-therapy
2014 17 May
Diabetic patients who received intensified insulin treatment following a heart attack survived for two years longer than patients treated with standard therapy to lower glucose, in a study conducted by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Diabetes commonly occurs with cardiovascular complications. Heart attack and stroke...Read more
Esc-2014-diabetes-statin-study
2014 01 Sep
When it comes to cholesterol-lowering statin medications for patients with type 2 diabetes, rosuvastatin may be a better choice than atorvastatin, according to the findings of a new study presented at ESC Congress 2014. “Statins have been shown to slightly increase the risk of new-onset diabetes but few studies have been done to investigate their...Read more
Zoom-on-sir-rory-collins-esc-gold-medal-winner
2014 02 Sep
When the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) convened in Barcelona on 30 August 2014, one of the recipients of its prestigious Gold Medal awards was Sir Rory Collins. Collins, a Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Oxford University since 1996 and a director of the university’s Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU) since 1985, has dedicated his...Read more
Generic-statins-lower-cost-higher-adherence
2014 25 Sep
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US with statins being the most frequently prescribed drugs in the country primarily because of their effectiveness in reducing cardiovascular events. Evidence indicates that patients may not be deriving the full benefit of these statins because they do not take them as prescribed. A...Read more
Overprescribing-medications-is-bad-for-health
2014 17 Dec
According to a recent survey by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, 43 percent of men and 50 percent of women in England are taking at least one prescription medicine, and 22 percent of men and 24 percent of women are taking at least three prescriptions. Nearly 2.7 million prescriptions are dispensed every day in England. This translates into...Read more
Statin-therapy-reduces-cvd-risk-in-women
2015 13 Jan
According to a new study published in The Lancet , statin treatment reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. There has been much debate about the effectiveness of statin therapy in women as compared to men, especially when used for primary prevention. This particular study compares the effects of statin therapy between men and women....Read more
Statins-do-not-impair-memory-or-cognitive-functioning
2015 15 Jan
The FDA recently issued a warning that statins could affect memory, attention span and other cognitive abilities of people who are using the drug to control their cholesterol levels. However, a comprehensive review of 25 clinical trials comprising of 47,000 people finds no link between statin use and changes in cognition. The systematic review was...Read more
Study-uses-new-approach-to-determine-who-benefits-from-statin-therapy
2015 08 Mar
According to new research, statin therapy provides the most benefit to patients with the highest genetic risk of heart attack. The research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has been published in The Lancet . The researchers used a straightforward...Read more
Antidepressants-could-improve-cardiovascular-outcomes
2015 08 Mar
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute have found that screening for and treating depression could help reduce the risk of heart disease in patients with moderate to severe depression. The study will be presented on March 15 at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego. The research...Read more
Statins-reduce-hospital-admission-for-heart-failure
2015 23 Mar
A meta-analysis of 17 statin trials involving over 100,000 patients shows that statin treatment led to a 10 percent significant reduction in hospital admission for heart failure over an average of four years treatment. The study, reported at the European Atherosclerosis Society Congress, is also published online in The European Heart Journal . "While...Read more
To-statin-or-not-to-statin
2015 01 Apr
A new report from preventive cardiologists at John Hopkins and elsewhere provides a set of useful tips for physicians to help determine when cholesterol-lowering statins should be used. The report has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “To statin or not to statin’ is one of the most important questions faced by...Read more
Paediatric-cholesterol-guidelines-for-young-adults-increase-statin-use
2015 09 Apr
According to an article published by JAMA Pediatrics , application of paediatric guidelines for lipid levels for persons 17 to 21 years of age who have elevated LDL-C levels could result in statin treatment for more than 400,000 additional young people than the adult guidelines. Adolescence is a common time for the emergence of cardiovascular risk...Read more
Memory-loss-associated-with-cholesterol-lowering-drugs
2015 09 Jun
According to an article published in JAMA Internal Medicine , both statin and non-statin cholesterol lowering drugs were associated with memory loss in the first thirty days patients started taking the medications. Acute memory loss has previously been found to be associated with the use of statins but findings about this association have been...Read more
Euroheartcare-visualising-calcified-coronary-arteries-improves-lifestyle
2015 15 Jun
According to a new study, patients with newly diagnosed coronary artery disease can be motivated to change their lifestyles when shown images of their own calcified coronary arteries. The study was presented at EuroHeartCare 2015, the official meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) of the European Society...Read more
New-cholesterol-guidelines-offer-greater-accuracy
2015 16 Jul
According to a study published in JAMA , the 2013 cholesterol guidelines for determining statin eligibility are more accurate and efficient in identifying increased risk of cardiovascular disease events and presence of subclinical coronary artery disease as compared to guidelines from 2004. The 2013 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology...Read more
Statins-a-double-edged-sword
2015 17 Aug
A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology talks about how statins are beneficial in some cases but highlights the importance of weighing individual risk before using statins as preventive therapy. Statins have proven to be quite effective in reducing atherosclerosis-related events and some researchers have gone...Read more
Elderly-have-highest-rate-of-statin-use
2015 24 Aug
According to new research published by JAMA Internal Medicine , the use of statins for primary prevention in patients without vascular disease between 1999 and 2012 significantly increased among the elderly despite the fact that there is no evidence to recommend the use of these drugs in this particular patient segment. The study was conducted by...Read more
Poor-levels-of-availability-affordability-use-of-vital-heart-medicines
2015 27 Oct
According to research published in The Lancet, the use of vital life-saving generic medicines for the prevention of heart disease is poor worldwide. In low-income and middle-income countries, these medicines are either not easily available or if they are, they are often unaffordable. In rich countries, availability and affordability is not usually...Read more
Negative-statin-stories-impact-patients
2015 06 Dec
According to a study published in the European Heart Journal , negative news stories about statins result in some people choosing to discontinue their statin treatment which in turn increases their risk of heart attacks and dying from heart disease. The research was conducted by researchers in Denmark and included 674,900 people aged 40 and older...Read more
Statins-before-heart-surgery-reduce-complications
2016 12 Jan
A review article to be published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery suggests the use of statins before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The drugs are believed to reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery as well as the risk of death during and after surgery. Some of the key points of the...Read more
Statins-aspirin-reduce-heart-attack-severity
2016 20 Sep
According to new research, medications prescribed for prevention of heart attacks such as statins and aspirin can also reduce the severity of heart attacks. The research is published in PLOS ONE and findings will be presented at the 27th Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC). The study was conducted with 14,790 patients hospitalised...Read more
High-intensity-statin-therapy-linked-to-lower-risk-of-death
2016 12 Nov
A large, cohort study published in JAMA Cardiology demonstrates that there is an inverse association between intensity of statin therapy and mortality risk in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). See Also : Statin vs Nonstatin Therapies for Lowering LDL-C Statin therapy remains...Read more
Statins-before-cardiac-arrest-improve-survival-odds-afterwards
2016 14 Nov
According to a study presented at the Resuscitation Science Symposium at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016 , patients who have been taking statins have better chances of surviving longer after a cardiac arrest. See Also : High-Intensity Statin Therapy Linked to Lower Risk of Death Cholesterol-lowering...Read more
Statins-combined-with-stroke-prevention-drug-increase-risk-of-haemorrhage
2016 22 Nov
According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), two commonly used statins can increase the risk of haemorrhage when combined with dabigatran etexilate, a stroke prevention drug used in patients with atrial fibrillation. See Also : Statins and Drug-Drug Interactions: AHA Scientific Statement A possible...Read more
Pcsk9-and-hmgcr-genetic-variants-affect-cardiovascular-disease-risk
2016 06 Dec
Variants in the genes encoding HMGCR (the target of statins) and PCSK9 (the target of PCSK9 inhibitors) that lowered LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, in each gene were associated with nearly identical protective effects on the risk of cardiovascular events per unit reduction in LDL cholesterol, according to new research published in The New England Journal...Read more
Study-low-statin-use-in-patients-with-high-ldc-c-levels
2017 09 Jan
Treatment with statins is recommended for all adults 21 years or older with an elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level of 190 mg/dL or greater. However, a new study published in JAMA Cardiology shows low statin prescription rates even for patients in their 30s and 40s who have severe elevations in LDL-C levels. See Also...Read more
Low-adherence-to-statins-following-heart-attack
2017 19 Apr
According to a study published by JAMA Cardiology, a large proportion of patients who were prescribed high-intensity statins following hospitalisation for a heart attack did not adhere to their prescribed medication at two years after discharge. See Also : Statin Dose, Timing May Improve Heart Surgery Outcomes The study was conducted with Medicare...Read more