The benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins last many years after patients stop taking the, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Glasgow. Consequently there was less risk of death from cardiovascular disease as well as other causes when compared to people who did not take the drugs.
The study involved nearly 6,600 men all of whom had high levels of LDL or bad cholesterol. The researchers randomly assigned half the men in the study to take statin pravastatin (Pravachol), while the other half were assigned to receive a placebo.
The researchers report that 38.7 percent of those in the statin group and 35.2 percent of those in the placebo group continued to take statins after the trial ended. The trial lasted for five years.
After 10 years, researchers found that 8.6 percent of the statin group had died as compared to 10.3 percent of the original placebo group. Overall in the 15-year duration of the study, 11.8 percent in the statin group and 15.5 percent in the placebo group had died.
"It seems to be that the drugs have the power of patching up damage in the arteries and preventing progression of the disease," said lead author Ian Ford, professor of biostatistics at the University of Glasgow. "We believe that five years of treatment essentially restored damage done by diet, smoking and high blood pressure, stopping the buildup of cholesterol in the arterial wall."
The details of the study appear in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
