Taking two common cholesterol drugs together could slash the risk of cardiovascular problems, a new study suggests
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Two common drugs could help lower cholesterol when taken together, new research suggests
Two common drugs could help lower cholesterol when taken together, new research suggests
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A drug combination for lowering "bad" cholesterol could save thousands of lives worldwide each year, according to a major new study.
High cholesterol, when you have too much of a fatty substance in your blood, is often referred to as a "silent" problem because it doesn't show obvious symptoms but can have devastating health consequences.
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There are two types of cholesterol: LDL, known as "bad" cholesterol, and HDL, the "good" kind. Too much LDL can build up in your arteries, forming plaque that narrows and blocks blood flow, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The new study, which is the largest analysis of its kind, looked at data from more than 100,000 people at very high risk of having a heart attack or stroke, or who had already had one.
The study found that using a statin alongside another drug, called ezetimibe, was significantly better than statins alone at lowering levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol and reducing deaths. Patients who took both drugs saw a 19 per cent drop in overall risk of death, a 16 per cent drop in cardiovascular-related deaths, and nearly 20 per cent fewer major heart attacks and strokes than those taking only high-doses of statins, the analysis revealed.
A generic pack of statins with a stethoscope.
Statins have long been a cornerstone of cardiovascular disease prevention
“This study confirms that combined cholesterol lowering therapy should be considered immediately and should be the gold standard for treatment of very high-risk patients after an acute cardiovascular event,” said Peter Toth, co-author of the study and Professor of Clinical Family and Community Medicine at the University of Illinois in the US.
Statins are a class of drugs that help lower LDL cholesterol by reducing the amount of cholesterol the liver produces. Ezetimibe is a different type of cholesterol-lowering medication that reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the gut from the food you eat.
High cholesterol doesn't typically cause symptoms, so many don't realise they have it until it has caused bigger health problems. Professor Darrel Francis, Professor of Cardiology at Imperial College London, told the British Heart Foundation (BHF) that statins are a preventative medicine.
High cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in the arteries
High cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in the arteries
"People often don’t want to take medicine when they feel healthy,” Prof Francis says. "But you could think about it like other healthy life choices, for example, choosing not to smoke to protect your health, or wearing a seatbelt to protect you in case of an accident."
The study comes after research by Our Future Health revealed that more than half of Brits have high cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular disease kills 18 million people each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Lead author of the study, Maciej Banach, Professor of Cardiology at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, said the breakthrough drug combination could prevent more than 330,000 deaths each year among patients who have already suffered a heart attack, and almost 50,000 deaths alone in the US.
generic pic of a doctore with tablets, pills , medication P8
Researchers say the drug combo should be the 'gold standard' of treatment for high-risk patients
Prof Toth added: "This approach does not require additional funding or reimbursement of new expensive drugs. In fact, it may translate into lower rates of first and subsequent heart attacks and stroke, and their complications like heart failure, which are extremely costly for all healthcare systems.
"Our findings underline the importance of the adages ‘the lower for better for longer’ but also the equally important ‘the earlier the better’ for treating patients at high risk of cardiovascular conditions and to avoid further medical complications and deaths."
The study was published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.