Statins Prevent Clot-Related Diseases
Reported May 17, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Statins, common cholesterol-lowering drugs, may help prevent people from developing clot-related diseases.
“Previous clinical studies have indicated statins may play a role in lowering the risk of these conditions, but these studies have yielded variable estimates of the effect of statin therapy,” Vanjul Agarwal, M.B.B.S., the lead author was quoted as saying. “In our study, we aimed to analyze and evaluate the effect of these drugs in patients with specific conditions related to vessel blockages.”
Researchers reviewed 10 studies involving more then 900,000 men and women, to see statins’s role in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE), clots formed deep within veins. The VTEs is the recent study focused on two types: deep vein thrombosis (DVT), typically involving clots in the lower legs, and also pulmonary embolism (PE), which involve clots in the primary vessels of the lungs that have migrated from other areas of the body, including the legs, pelvis or, rarely, arms.
Dr. Agarwal said statins are thought to lower the risk of VTE by reducing inflammation, which contributes to clot formation.
Source: ATS 2010 International Conference, New Orleans, May 14-19, 2010