More than 12,000 people in Britain are needlessly suffering heart attacks every year because they aren't taking their statins, a study suggests.
People who took high-intensity statins correctly at least 80 per cent of the time were around 33 per cent less likely to die from a cardiovascular event.
Doctors are cautiously prescribing doses which are too weak, or that people are forgetting or stopping their tablets due to side effects, the researchers said.
The solution to low adherence is to give patients higher doses of statins to make up for the medication they have missed, the researchers said.
Statins could prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes if people regularly took higher doses, a study led by Imperial College and the University of Leicester found
Researchers led by Imperial College and the University of Leicester looked at their use in more than 16,700 people who had already suffered cardiovascular events like a heart attack or stroke.
There was a found people who took high-intensity statins, and took them correctly at least 80 per cent of the time, were around 33 per cent less likely to die from or have another cardiovascular event.
By comparison, those patients on the lowest intensity treatment and with poor adherence had a risk reduction of just five per cent compared to those not on statins.
That result, applied to the half a million heart disease patients in the UK, shows 12,000 people could be saved.
Cholesterol lowering treatments are less effective if patients do not take a drug regularly, skip days, or stop altogether - especially if they see or feel no immediate benefit from taking a drug.
This is particularly important as high cholesterol levels in the blood may not cause any noticeable symptoms compared to other conditions.
'In terms of risk reduction, we can see the people who do the best are those who are adhering to the recommended dosage and are on more potent drug regimens,' Professor Kausik Ray, lead author from Imperial College London's School of Public Health said.
'But if someone is not going to take a treatment as recommended, they may actually be better off on higher doses of statins so that when they are taking the medication, they are achieving greater cholesterol reductions.'
That result, applied to the half a million heart disease patients in the UK, shows 12,000 people could be saved.
Professor Kausik Ray, who led the study from the School of Public Health at Imperial, said: 'With LDL cholesterol, also known as 'bad' cholesterol, the lower it is the better.
'We know once you have one heart attack or other cardiovascular event, you are at much higher risk of more events in future and that lowering your LDL cholesterol levels is key to improving outcomes.
'For these patients, taking the right medication, at the right dose, at the right time - and sticking to this regimen - is critical in lowering their risk of future cardiovascular events.'
Statins are taken by six million people in Britain to reduce their cholesterol and are proven lifesavers for those with heart problems.
But an Australian study revealed last month that 45 per cent of pensioners had stopped taking them, with side effects including muscle pain, sleep problems and impotence putting some people off.
The latest study gave people an overall score for whether they had missed or stopped either statins or a drug called ezetimibe, and how strong their drugs were.
Then they were tracked for an average of three years to see if they suffered another heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event.
The researchers conclude from their results that among the 23 per cent of people taking the strongest statins, and taking them properly, 48 out of 1,000 should have a cardiovascular event.
But in the real world, 72 out of 1,000 people die or suffer a cardiovascular event despite being on statins. They therefore conclude that taking more powerful drugs, and sticking to them, could cut someone's risk by a third.
The most powerful drugs cut cholesterol by 50 per cent, with the least intense statins reducing it by only 30 per cent.
People with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease may also have a third lower risk of a cardiovascular problem, according to the study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'This is real-world evidence that taking your medicine as prescribed really can make all the difference.
'If you're taking statins, it's essential that you continue to take them regularly, as advised by your doctor.' Liam Smeeth, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'These results are entirely in agreement with the evidence from previous clinical trials, showing that statins prevents heart attacks and deaths due to cardiovascular disease.
'The study highlights the importance of people taking their statins reliably over the long term, and the benefits of using the higher doses of statins that are now widely recommended in clinical guidelines.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/07/more-than-12000-people-are-needlessly-suffering-heart-attacks/
Main photo article More than 12,000 people in Britain are needlessly suffering heart attacks every year because they aren’t taking their statins, a study suggests.
People who took high-intensity statins correctly at least 80 per cent of the time were around 33 per cent less likely to die from a ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/07/16/7141624-0-image-a-31_1544198403486.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий