Doctors told to prescribe higher doses of statins to patients

Statins are used by many Boomers around the world as a way of lowering cholesterol and preventing the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events. There’s plenty of conflicting evidence surrounding the effectiveness of the drug, with some in the health industry claiming it’s a miracle drug and others saying it’s ineffective in protecting people.

Researchers from the Imperial College London and University of Leicester claim thousands of heart attacks and deaths from cardiovascular disease could be prevented by patients taking higher doses of statins and using the drug as prescribed by their doctors. The research, published in the JAMA Network Open Journal, is one of the first to analyse the combined effect of high-intensity statin treatment and adherence in those who have already experienced a cardiovascular event and who are at increased risk of future cardiovascular health issues.

The latest study found people taking the highest doses of statins to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol – also known as bad cholesterol – and who take the drug as advised by their doctor see the biggest reduction in the risk for future cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke. Patient adherence can impact how successful statin treatment is.

Some patients don’t take statins regularly, skip days or stop using it because they don’t feel an immediate benefit of using the medication. This is worrying, according to researchers, particularly because high cholesterol levels in the blood don’t always show noticeable symptoms compared to other health conditions.

“The basic message here is that long-term adherence achieves better long-term cholesterol reductions, and in turn, achieves better outcomes for patients,” lead author Kausik Ray said in a statement. “In terms of risk reduction, we can see the people who do best are those who are adhering to the recommended dosage and are on more potent drug regimes.”

The research found people who don’t take statin treatment as recommended would be better off on higher doses of the drug so when they do take it, they are achieving greater cholesterol reductions. Researchers focuses on data of patients at greatest risk of cardiovascular events including those with established heart disease, people with diabetes but with no heart disease history and patients with chronic kidney disease with no prior heart attack or stroke.

Read more: The facts to know when it comes to taking statins

Researchers investigated the intensity of treatment, as well as each patient’s adherence. Those who had the highest adherence and with the highest intensity treatment had the greatest reduction of both LDL cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk. In fact, they cut the risk of cardiovascular events by 40 per cent. Patients on the lowest intensity treatment with poor adherence reduced the risk by 5 per cent.

Researchers noted that while changing diet can be important in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, it may not be enough to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event for people in high-risk groups.

“Here, statins provide additional benefits over and above lifestyle,” Ray said. “It doesn’t matter how patients get to this point – through obesity, smoking, generic risk factors – what we know is that once you have one heart attack or another 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 the risk of future cardiovascular events.”

The latest research comes just days after a new study by the University of Zurich in Switzerland found taking statins as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease is being recommended too often by health professionals and that many are failing to acknowledge the side effects of the drug.

Read more: Statins update: Study finds risks outweigh benefits for many

Authors of that study believe the existing guidelines surrounding the risk criteria for a statin prescription have been drawn up without taking into account other side effects including muscle pain, cataracts, liver defects, diabetes, headaches and stomach aches. The thresholds set by experts are not based on systematic studies, according to the report, with the research finding that setting up new thresholds could cut the number of people recommended to take statins by half.

It’s always important to discuss the individual risk of cardiovascular disease with a health professional and discuss the pros and cons of statins with them to ensure the best treatment is being put in place.

What is your opinion on statins? Do you use them?

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.