NICE publishes new draft guidelines on statins use

"Millions more people should be put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs," BBC News reports. Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that the drugs should be given to people with an estimated 1 in 10 or more risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Statins are medicines that can help lower rates of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (so-called "bad" cholesterol) in the blood. High rates of LDL cholesterol can lead to hardening of the arteries, a risk factor for CVDs. At present, guidance for doctors on using statins to prevent CVD says that only people with a 20% or greater risk of developing CVD in the next 10 years should be offered the drugs. The new guidance recommends lowering the risk threshold so statins are offered to people with a 10% chance of developing CVD. The draft guidance also recommends which assessment tool GPs should use to determine this risk. NICE recommends that a specific statin called atorvastatin is used for both the prevention and treatment of CVD.   What are statins and who currently takes them? Statins are medicines that lower the rates of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. Increased levels of LDL cholesterol are potentially dangerous, as this can lead to hardening of the arteries, a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke. Statin treatment is usually recommended for certain...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication QA articles Source Type: news