Development arrested?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, killing about 700,000 Americans each year.
New research estimates that about 50,000 American lives can be rescued annually with a two or two cholesterol lowering medication.
“The combination therapy is safe and efficient,” said the first author of the study Maciaj Banach, a professor of cardiology at Catholic University John Paul II of Ljublin, Poland.
High cholesterol causes plaque construction in the arteries, which can limit blood flow and lead to heart attack or stroke.
Statins, which reduce cholesterol levels, usually describe people at high risk for heart attack or stroke.
Banach suggests that giving these patients a statin and cholesterol lowering drugs-in the country that only statins-can reduce the risk of early death by 19%, a major cardiovascular event by 18%and a 17%stroke.
The findings, published Sunday in the Mayo Mayo Clinic procedures, challenge the notion that patients who are given high -dose statin should be monitored for at least two months before ezetimibe.
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 reduction therapy should be considered immediately and should be the golden standard for treating high risk patients,” said study co -author Peter Toth.
“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,” continued Toth, “associated with the most effective LDL [cholesterol] Achieving the goal and is responsible for a significant decrease in increasing problems and cardiovascular health deaths. “
Cardiovascular disease kills about 20 million people worldwide thanks to the spread of high blood pressure, use of cigarettes, overweight, physical inactivity, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Nearly 94 million Americans 20 and above have what can be considered high border cholesterol.
Statins reduce the production of liver cholesterol, leading to lower levels of LDL cholesterol of blood plaque formation.
Ezetimibe (brand name: Zetia) blocks the small intestine from absorbing cholesterol.
“[The combination] Access requires no additional funds or reimbursement of new expensive drugs, “Toth said.” In fact, it can translate into lower rates of first and later heart attacks and stroke, and their complications such as heart failure, which are extremely costly to all health care systems. “
Dr. Benjamin Hirsh, director of preventive cardiology at North Shore University Hospital, said he hopes that early combination therapy will become the new standard.
“It is very important that patients and doctors, in particular, understand that the aggressive lowering of LDL cholesterol is primary, especially for patients at higher risk,” Hirsh Post told.
“Doctors often take a” wait and look “approach to see how patients first respond to statin therapy,” he added, “for very high risk patients, there is no reason to wait.”
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