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Source: Guardian Unlimited Science
Therapy: Statin Therapy
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Total 13 results found since Jan 2013.
‘Gamechanging’ heart disease drug approved for use in England
Doctors say inclisiran will prevent tens of thousands of deaths from heart attack and strokePatients in England are to start receiving a “gamechanger” drug that doctors say will protect tens of thousands of lives by cutting the number of people who have a heart attack or stroke.The treatment, inclisiran, works by boosting the liver ’s ability to reduce the body’s level of “bad” cholesterol, even in those who have already tried using statins.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 31, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Denis Campbell Health policy editor Tags: Drugs Health Heart attack Stroke UK news NHS National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Source Type: news
Statins do not cause muscle aches and pains, study finds
UK researchers seek to dispel concerns over pills prescribed for those at higher risk of heart attack and strokesStatins are generally not the cause of the muscle aches and pains that stop some people taking the pills prescribed to protect them against serious heart problems, according to a novel study that hopes to dispel some of the concerns.Two million people in the UK who are at higher risk of heart attack and strokes are eligible for statins, but many people refuse them or have stopped taking them because of sometimes alarming and widespread reports of muscle pain. But the study funded by the National Institute of Hea...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 24, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Sarah Boseley Health editor Tags: Statins Medical research Health Ageing UK news Heart attack Stroke Heart disease Science Society Source Type: news
'Bad cholesterol' levels should be checked from age of 25 - study
Understanding risks early on could help protect from disease later in life and ‘offer chance to take statins or adjust diet’All adults as young as 25, as well as older people, need to know of their “bad cholesterol” levels so they can change their lifestyle or take drugs to protect themselves against heart attacks or strokes in later life, say scientists.A landmark study involving data from nearly 400,000 people in 19 countries has established for the first time that levels of non-HDL, or “bad cholesterol”, in the blood are closely linked to the risk of heart disease across the entire life course.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 3, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Sarah Boseley Health editor Tags: UK news Health Heart attack Stroke Young people Older people Nutrition Science Obesity World news Source Type: news
'Fake news and ageism' keeping statins from older people
Offering statins to all over-75s could prevent 8,000 deaths from heart failure and stroke, researchers sayThousands of deaths and the wrecking of many lives by disability could be averted if doctors routinely offered a daily statin pill to older people, scientists say.They blame misinformation about the side-effects of statins, together with society ’s ageism, for the low uptake among older people, who are at highest risk of heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 31, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Sarah Boseley Health editor Tags: Statins Heart attack Heart disease Stroke Older people Health Medical research Society Science UK news Source Type: news
High-risk patients being underprescribed statins, study finds
Cholesterol-lowering drugs are also being overprescribed to people at low risk of having a heart attack or stroke, researchers findStatins are being overprescribed to low-risk groups and underprescribed to high-risk groups, research by the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) has shown.The report found potential “undertreatment” among people who have at least a 20% chance of cardiovascular disease (CVD) within a decade, who are considered high-risk patients.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 24, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Mattha Busby Tags: Statins Society Heart attack Medical research Stroke UK news Science Source Type: news
£6m statin trial raises hope drug can be used to treat multiple sclerosis
Trial involving almost 1,200 people aims to ‘establish definitively’ whether cholesterol drug can slow disability progressionScientists are hopeful a major drug trial will establish that statins can be used to treat multiple sclerosis.The low-cost drugs are typically prescribed to help lower levels of “bad cholesterol” associated with raised risk of a heart attack or stroke, but they have also shown “incredible promise” for the treatment of MS.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 8, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Haroon Siddique Tags: Multiple sclerosis Statins Medical research NHS Society Health Science UK news Source Type: news
The controversy over statins has revealed something: the nocebo effect is real | Ann Robinson
Just as placebos can have a positive effect, expectation of side-effects can have a negative one. That ’s why proper doctor-patient communication is so vitalStatins are back in the news;a new study shows that media-fuelled controversy among health experts has dented public confidence in the cholesterol-lowering drugs that prevent 80,000 heart attacks and strokes every year in the UK. The benefits far outweigh the harm from rare side-effects, according to a review of the evidence in the Lancet medical journal. But200,000 people stopped taking their statins in 2013 following six months of “disputed research and tendentio...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 3, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Ann Robinson Tags: Placebo effect Statins Health Society NHS Heart attack Stroke Doctors UK news Science Source Type: news
Statin side-effects down to negative expectations, not the drugs, say study
Researchers hope study will end debate around statins, which could benefit over six million UK patients who are not taking them, or take low dosagesCommon side-effects of statins are not down to the drugs, but are instead a result of patients ’ negative expectations, research suggests.Statins are typically prescribed to help lower levels of “bad cholesterol” – or low-density lipoprotein – in order to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Arecent report estimated that the drugs prevent around 80,000 such incidents a year in the UK.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 2, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Tags: Statins Society Health Heart attack Medical research Science Source Type: news
Statin side-effects only felt by those who believe in them – study
Researchers hope study will end debate around drugs, which could benefit over six million more UK patientsCommon side-effects of statins are not down to the drugs, but are instead a result of patients ’ negative expectations, research suggests.Statins are typically prescribed to help lower levels of “bad cholesterol” – or low-density lipoprotein – in order to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Arecent report estimated that the drugs prevent around 80,000 such incidents a year in the UK.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 2, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Tags: Statins Society Health Heart attack Medical research Science Source Type: news
How too much medicine can kill you | Aseem Malhotra
It’s patients who lose out if doctors and professional journals stop asking the right questionsDuring a recent clinic consultation, I saw Mary, in her early 60s, with type 2 diabetes. She was concerned that the muscle pains in her legs may have been a result of the cholesterol-lowering statin drug she was taking. “But I’m scared of stopping it.” She explained how a specialist nurse had told her a clot could break off from her aorta, travel to her brain and cause a massive stroke.I assured her that even in those with established heart disease, who stand to gain most from taking the drug, the risk of death from stopp...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - November 1, 2015 Category: Science Authors: Aseem Malhotra Tags: NHS Health Pharmaceuticals industry Drugs policy Politics Science Doctors Society Business UK news Source Type: news
Mediterranean diet 'as effective as statins' in reducing heart attack risk
Leading doctors call on medical bodies such as Nice to do more to promote healthy lifestyles rather than relying on cardiovascular drugsPeople at risk of a stroke or heart attack should reduce that risk by adopting the Mediterranean diet rather than necessarily taking statins, leading doctors are urging.Eating more healthily, being more physically active and stopping smoking can be just as effective as starting to take the cholesterol-lowering drugs, they have said in a paper published on Monday. Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - September 6, 2015 Category: Science Authors: Denis Campbell Health policy editor Tags: Statins Society Heart attack The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) NHS & wellbeing Drugs Science Medical research Diets and dieting Source Type: news
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery review
Patients see neurosurgeons as gods, but what is the reality? Henry Marsh has written a memoir of startling candourWe go to doctors for help and healing; we don't expect them to make us worse. Most people know the aphorism taught to medical students, attributed to the ancient Greek Hippocrates but timeless in its quiet sanity: "First, do no harm." But many medical treatments do cause harm: learning how to navigate the risks of drug therapies, as well as the catastrophic consequences of botched or inadvised surgical operations, is a big part of why training doctors takes so long. Even the simplest of therapies carries the ri...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 19, 2014 Category: Science Authors: Gavin Francis Tags: The Guardian Private healthcare Culture Society Reviews Books Neuroscience UK news Hospitals NHS Source Type: news
Should I take statins?
Since 80% of cardiovascular disease is caused by lack of exercise, poor diet and smoking, it would be better to address these factors rather than pop a statinShould everyone over 50 be taking statins? asked an editorial in the Lancet last year. No, said an analysis article in last week's BMJ. Statins, in case you've escaped the hype, are drugs that block an enzyme in the liver that's needed to make cholesterol (we make it as well as eat it). Statins reduce levels of low density lipoproteins – the bad cholesterol that furs up arteries and can cause heart disease. But is there any benefit in taking a statin if yo...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 27, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Luisa Dillner Tags: The Guardian Medical research Health & wellbeing Human biology Drugs Features Life and style Science Source Type: news
