Are Cholesterol-Lowering Statins Associated with Reduced Alzheimer Risk?

JAMA: An analysis of Medicare data suggests that high use of cholesterol-lowering statins was associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer disease but that reduction in risk varied by type of statin and race/ethnicity, findings that must be confirmed in clinical trials, according to a new article published online by JAMA Neurology. Previous research has suggested a protective association between statins and Alzheimer disease (AD).

At 40, It May Be Time For a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug

Connecticut: Cardiologist Dr. Peter Schulman, who specializes in preventive cardiology at UConn Health’s Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center, explains the newly broadened statin medication guidelines of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. It is now urging initiation of the cholesterol-lowering drug at age 40 to prevent cardiovascular disease and its risks of heart attack and stroke.

Recommendations Regarding Use of Statins for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

JAMA: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a recommendation statement regarding the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults. The report appears in the November 15 issue of JAMA.

Recommendations

• The USPSTF recommends initiating use of low- to moderate-dose statins in adults ages 40 to 75 years without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) who have 1 or more CVD risk factors (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking) and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 10 percent or greater (B recommendation, indicating that there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate, or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial).

Statins are saving lives

Scimex: Higher Intensity of Statin Therapy Associated With Lower Risk of Death in Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease. Among more than 500,000 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, researchers found an inverse association between intensity of statin therapy and mortality, with patients who received high-intensity statins having the greatest reductions in risk of death, according to a study published online by JAMA Cardiology.

How statins aid the immune system

Karolinska Institute: Statins protect against cardiovascular disease in more ways than previously thought. In a study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet are able to show the immunological effects of statins, and present a new hypothesis on why satins are effective at preventing heart attacks. The study is published in The Journal of the American Heart Association . Atherosclerosis can lead to a number of serious medical conditions, such as heart attack, stroke and intermittent claudication. These and other cardiovascular diseases are on the increase around the world, and are the leading causes of death in the west. Johan Frostegård, professor at KI’s Institute of Environmental Medicine, has had a long-standing interest in atherosclerosis and the possible underlying causes of this chronic inflammation. Atherosclerosis is visible on the blood vessel walls as plaque consisting of accumulated dead cells and oxidised (rancid) LDL cholesterol (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) and two types of immune cell, T cells and dendritic cells, which are the key players in this chronic inflammation.

Study Examines Association Between Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs, Memory Impairment

JAMA: Both statin and nonstatin cholesterol-lowering drugs were associated with memory loss in the first 30 days after patients started taking the medications when compared with nonusers, but researchers suggest the association may have resulted because patients using the medications may have more contact with their physicians and therefore be more likely to detect any memory loss, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Drugs that lower cholesterol spell less stroke

Scimex: A UK study over nine years has tracked the health of 7,484 men and women with an average age of 74 years and no known history of stroke. The study has found that use of cholesterol lowering drugs, such as statins or fibrates, is associated with a one third lower risk of stroke compared with non-users. In an accompanying editorial, an Australian expert argues that the results provide compelling evidence that more research should look at the use of lipid lowering drugs as a potential way to ward off stroke in the elderly.

Is the new cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin really useful?

British Heart Foundation: A doctor has questioned the use of the cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin (Crestor). Writing in the BMJ, Dr Sidney Wolfe says that evidence of its health benefits has always been weak and there is now growing evidence that the drug carries a higher risk of harmful side effects, such as developing diabetes.

Researchers say men taking statins at increased risk of type 2 diabetes

British Herat Foundation: New research shows men who take statins to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease could be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Gene testing could find those who would benefit most from statins

NHS. UK: "Patients with the highest genetic risk of suffering a heart attack benefit the most from cholesterol-lowering statin drugs," The Guardian reports. Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol and can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) developing – the leading cause of death both in the UK and worldwide.

Synthetic biology breakthrough leads to cheaper statin production

University of Manchester (UK) researchers, together with industrial partner DSM, have developed a single-step fermentative method for the production of leading cholesterol-lowering drug, pravastatin, which will facilitate industrial-scale statin drug production.

Can statins delay the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration?

Cochrane: What are the effects of statins on delaying the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

Statin use may be widening health inequalities in England

NHS. UK: “Mass prescription of statins ‘will widen social inequalities’," The Independent reports. The headline is based on a new study looking at deaths from coronary heart disease in England from the years 2000 to 2007. The good news is that overall deaths from heart disease were estimated to be down by a third (34.2%) during the time period. The bad news, at least for those concerned about health inequalities, is that the use of statins (a cholesterol-lowering drug), benefitted the richest 20% more than the poorest 20% of society.