Statins can benefit people with no history of heart disease, study finds
Findings suggest everyone over certain age should qualify for therapy with the cholesterol-lowering drugs, say expertsCholesterol-lowering drugs can benefit even apparently healthy people with no previous history of heart disease, a study has found.The findings suggest everyone over a certain age should qualify for statin therapy, say experts.But NHS prescriptions of the drugs are restricted to patients judged to have at least a 20% risk of a "major vascular event" in the next 10 years. A major vascular event can include a non-fatal heart attack, stroke, or surgery to bypass or unblock damaged arteries.The authors of the new research, which used data from 175,000 patients and is published in the Lancet, say the findings suggest international treatment guidelines for statins should be reconsidered.Medical researchHeart attackguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms &...
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