These pills can significantly cut heart attack, stroke risk: new study

Arrest-ed development?Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, killing around 700,000 Americans each year.New research estimates that nearly 50,000 US lives could be saved annually with a one-two punch of cholesterol-lowering drugs.“The combination therapy is safe and efficacious,” said first study author Maciej Banach, a professor of cardiology at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland.High cholesterol causes plaque buildup in arteries, which can restrict blood flow and lead to heart attack or stroke.Statins, which reduce cholesterol levels, are commonly prescribed to people at high risk for heart attack or stroke.Banach suggests that giving these patients a statin and the cholesterol-lowering drug ezetimibe — rather than statins alone — can reduce the risk of early death by 19%, a major cardiovascular event by 18% and a stroke by 17%.The findings, published Sunday in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, challenge the notion that patients given a high-dose statin should be monitored for at least two months before being given ezetimibe as well.Banach’s team made the recommendation after analyzing the results of 14 studies, including more than 108,000 patients with blocked arteries.“This study confirms that combined cholesterol-lowering therapy should be considered immediately and should be the gold standard for treatment of very high-risk patients,” study co-author Peter Toth said.“Simply adding ezetimibe to statin therapy, without waiting for at least two months to see the effects of statin monotherapy, which is suboptimal in many patients,” Toth continued, “is associated with more effective LDL [cholesterol] goal achievement and is responsible for significant incremental reductions in cardiovascular health problems and deaths.” Subscribe to our weekly Post Care newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use ...