Intensive statin treatment best for cholesterol issues

Intensive statin treatment best for cholesterol issues

According to a review published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, intensive statin administration is the most appropriate option for the treatment of high cholesterol and other dyslipidemias. The review also indicated that some statins are more effective than others and that other blood lipid lowering drugs have less effect. But besides drugs, in order to control cholesterol level, it should be corrected  the patients lifestyle: diet, physical activity and weight loss.

Treatment

The review examined treatment options for treating dyslipidemia: high (low density lipoproteins),  low HDL (high density lipoprotein), high triglycerides etc. The findings revealed  that it is better to increase the dose of statins than add some other drugs  to the treatment in order to lower cholesterol.

Statins are drugs that reduce LDL cholesterol. Matt Ito, a professor of pharmacy practice at Oregon State University, author of the study, pointed out that statins are drugs proven to reduce by 30% the risk of heart attack and stroke. He said that the purpose of the review was to see if adding other drugs to statins brings benefit. But it was found that this does not reduces the problems and that only increasing doses of statins helps. In addition,  he added that increasing the dose of statins beyond usually recommended did not increase the risk of side effects. It must be said that of the side effects muscle pain and elevated transaminases are the most common.

LDL is called bad cholesterol while HDL is the good cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is involved in plaque formation, ie atherosclerosis, a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke. HDL cholesterol is the fraction of cholesterol that protects against atherosclerosis. HDL removes cholesterol from plaque and transports it to the liver to be reused. HDL cholesterol rich foods are omega-3 fatty acids like fish (salmon), olive oil, etc.. Also, an increase in HDL cholesterol is produced by moderate consumption of alcohol (wine) and eating whole grains.

Researchers call this therapy that uses a single statin “intensive monotherapy”. The aim is for the patient to reach a cholesterol level of 100mg/dl or even lower values in patients that have associated risk factors. Researchers found that only two of the most prescribed statins are suitable for intensive montherapy: rosuvastatin and atorvastatin. They concluded that other statins (fluvastatin, lovastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin) are not suitable for intensive treatment. But Ito added that the response to treatment varies from one individual to another. It is therefore possible that some patients go well with any of statins deemed inappropriate (fluvastatin, simvastatin, etc.).