Cholesterol Drugs Reduce Risk of Stroke by 80%
A US study of more than 1200 stroke survivors found patients taking anti-cholesterol drug statins had a significantly better outcome than those without the medication.
The study comes as cardiovascular doctors in Australia urge the federal Government to accept a report recommending statins for patients with a high risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke, even if they have low cholesterol levels.
The study found patients who were given statins within 48 hours of their stroke had the severity of their attack reduced.
The researchers also found an 82 per cent decrease in in-hospital mortality, from 5.3 per cent in the patients not taking statins to 1 per cent among those given the drugs.
“There is new evidence that patients who have even fairly low cholesterol by our previous standards should be getting treatment,” Professor David Sullivan, head of the lipid clinic at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said. “Those people are missing out. I think better targeted use of statins would save lives.”
Source: The Australian
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