Cholesterol Drugs May Reduce Risk of Blood Clots in Veins

[babylonsister]

Cholesterol Drugs May Reduce Risk of Blood Clots in Veins

By PAM BELLUCK
Published: March 29, 2009


New results from a large study suggest that the drugs known as statins may have a benefit beyond lowering cholesterol: reducing the risk of developing blood clots in the veins.

The study, published on the Web site of The New England Journal of Medicine and presented on Sunday at an American College of Cardiology convention, found that relatively healthy people who took a potent statin were 43 percent less likely than those who took a placebo to get a blood clot known as venous thromboembolism.

The clots, which often develop first in the legs, can be fatal if they travel to the lungs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 600,000 Americans get venous clots each year and that at least 100,000 die. The risk of suffering blood clots increases with age, and people who are obese, have certain genetic abnormalities or have been inactive because of surgery or injury are more prone to develop them.

The results are from a large study called Jupiter, led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, that looked into the effects of statins on people without high cholesterol or histories of heart disease. It involved 17,802 people — men 50 and older and women 60 and older — in 26 countries who took either a statin or a placebo.

The main Jupiter findings, published in November, were that the statin lowered the risk of heart attack by more than half and significantly lowered the risk of stroke, angioplasty, bypass surgery and death. As a result, national medical panels are considering broadening guidelines on who should be taking statins.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/health/research/30heart.html?_r=1&hp

[pnwmom]

1. Interesting. Thanks. n/t

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. My GP says...

...that if she was dictator, she'd put statins right into the drinking water. :)

[emilyg]

4. We must have the same doc.

[indepat]

3. babylonsister, many thanks for posting: having a mutated gene that makes me

seven times as likely to have a venal clot as the general population, will check with my doctor. :D

[old mark]

5. I had genetic high cholesterol, had 2 hart attacks and a quad bypass.

Have been on a statin for over 5 years now. I'm glad to hear there may be more benefit from my medication than keeping my cholesterol down.
It sometimes has side effects, but I have had no problems with it, and it's such an old drug, it's actually inexpensive.

mark

[hedgehog]

6. Hmmm, what if preventing clots is why some statins are effective

in reducing heart attack and reducing cholesterol is merely a side effect?