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Statins May Reduce Stroke and Heart Disease Risk

(HealthCentersOnline) - Some patients with heart disease may soon be treated with statins to reduce their risk of stroke, according to a new study.

A stroke is a potentially fatal event in which oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain is restricted, often because of an obstructing blood clot. A stroke can cause oxygen-starved brain cells to die within minutes, and damage can continue for several days afterward.

Carotid artery disease occurs when there is atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, in the carotid arteries, which lie in the neck and carry oxygen-rich blood to the brain. When these vital arteries are narrowed or blocked by a buildup of plaque, a person can have an ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.

Statins are a type of medication used in the treatment of high blood lipids levels, such as cholesterol ot triglycerides. Statins block the production of specific enzymes used by the body to make cholesterol.

Researchers from New York Medical College have recently found that statins may also significantly reduce the risk of stroke in heart patients with carotid arterial disease.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 449 patients (59 percent were men) with carotid arterial disease. Of these, 298 were treated with statins, while the remaining 151 were not. The researchers were able to follow the medical histories of all the patients for about 2 years on average.

The researchers found that 15 percent of the patients who were treated with statins experienced a stroke, heart attack or death. In the group that did not receive statins, 68 percent experienced a stroke, heart attack or death.

"Research like this, involving these types of incidences on these types of patients, has not previously been published," explained lead author Dr. Gautham Ravipati, in a recent press release. "And what it supports is that all patients with carotid arterial disease and hypercholesterolemia should be treated with statins, unless there is an absolute contradiction."

The results of the study were presented at CHEST 2006, the 72nd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

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