LipitorCare News » July 07

Older Patients get Benefits from High Dose Statins
5 July, 2007

The same cholesterol-lowering drugs young people use may also benefit older patients.

A new study funded by drug manufacturer Pfizer looked at 3,809 patients with a baseline age of 65 with known coronary artery disease. Participants got daily doses of either 80 or 10 milligrams of the statin drug Lipitor and were monitored for about five years.

Results show the key to older patients benefiting is the dosage -- study participants had a relative reduction in risk of 19 percent for a major cardiovascular event with high-dose compared to low-dose statins. And there didn't seem to be an increase in risk from the high dose.

High cholesterol causes thick plaque to build up in the walls of the arteries, narrowing them. This can slow or stop blood flow to the heart and can cause a stroke or heart attack.
Statin drugs work by interrupting the formation of cholesterol circulating in the blood.

Lead author Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., Emory University School of Medicine, was quoted as saying, "The bottom line message for older patients who have coronary heart disease and who are on a cholesterol-lowering drug, ask your physician if your statin dose is adequate to allow you to reach the goal level for the bad cholesterol (LDL-C) of less than 100 mg/dL for all coronary patients, and less than 70 mg for those at very high risk -- and many older patients are at very high risk."

According to the American Heart Association, more than 105 million American adults have total blood cholesterol levels of 200 and higher, and 36.6 million have levels of 240 or above. Total cholesterol levels of 240 or greater are considered high; levels of 200 to 239 are considered borderline-high.

Source: ivanhoe