Abstract
Randomised placebo-controlled trials have clearly
shown that the use of statins prevents heart disease and stroke in
patients with and without prior cardiovascular disease.
Article Extract
The pivotal role of elevated blood cholesterol in the
pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease has been established over a long
period. Advances in our knowledge of cell biology and biochemistry have
led to the discovery and now widespread use of statin drugs. Statins
inhibit the rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis thereby
initiating a series of reactions that lower levels of serum cholesterol,
or more specifically LDL cholesterol.
Randomised, placebo-controlled trials have clearly demonstrated that
statins prevent heart disease and stroke in patients with and without a
history of cardiovascular disease (see the box on page 49)1-7. The
recent UK Heart Prevention Study has created new interest by showing
that statins prevent cardiovascular disease in high risk patients with
baseline cholesterol readings as low as 3.5 mmol/L.4 This is a far cry
from a few years back when cholesterol levels were regarded as probably
deserving treatment only when they were greater than 6.5 mmol/L.
