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Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries, narrowing or even blocking them.

Quality of care, outcomes for stroke patients in VA's health system did not decline during the COVID-19 pandemic

In one of the first studies to investigate the overall quality of care and outcomes of stroke care for non-COVID-19 hospitalized patients during the pandemic from a national U.S. perspective, researchers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Regenstrief Institute and Monash University assessed patients with strokes and transient ischemic attacks (often called mini-strokes or TIAs) in 128 hospitals across the U.S. in the VA's health system, the nation's largest integrated healthcare system.

22 Jun 2022

Patients with very narrowed neck arteries have low risk of future stroke, study shows

The risk of having a future stroke caused by a severe blockage in an artery in the neck that is not currently causing any symptoms is so low that most patients with this condition -; asymptomatic carotid stenosis -; could potentially be treated with the newest medications and may not require surgery, new Kaiser Permanente research suggests.

24 May 2022

Study reveals psychological benefits of statins

Statins have been hailed as a wonder drug; the cholesterol-lowering drugs have been prescribed to tens of millions of people since their approval in the late 1980s to prevent heart attack and stroke.

17 May 2022

The potential role of the gut microbiome in modifying patient responses to statin therapy

Researchers discovered strong links between human gut microbiome makeup and statin on- and off-target effects, probably beneficial in medication tailoring.

13 May 2022

Aspirin for non-obstructive coronary artery disease does not reduce major cardiovascular events

Aspirin therapy, as opposed to statin use, for non-obstructive coronary artery disease does not reduce major cardiovascular events, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

28 Apr 2022

Study predicts that different statins exhibit divergent effects on host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study explores the possibility that different statins may exhibit different effects within the host and may differ in their outcomes while treating COVID-19 patients.

18 Apr 2022

Avasimibe inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and boosts T-cell responses

Researchers demonstrate that avasimibe-mediated inhibition of ACAT blocks the entry and fusion of SARS-CoV-2 in different cell types.

18 Apr 2022

Expanding statin prescription could be a cost-effective intervention against cardiovascular disease

Expanding prescription of statin medication to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol could be a cost-effective intervention against cardiovascular disease, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal Circulation.

8 Apr 2022

Addition of alirocumab to high-intensity statin treatment reduces key measures of plaque vulnerability

Compared with a placebo, the addition of the injectable cholesterol-lowering drug alirocumab to high-intensity statin treatment in patients who have had a heart attack resulted in twofold greater reductions in three key measures of plaque vulnerability that signal risk for future cardiac events, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session.

3 Apr 2022

Investigational drug vupanorsen reduces non-HDL cholesterol by up to 28%

The investigational drug vupanorsen reduced total levels of non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol by up to 28% in patients with high cholesterol who were already taking a cholesterol-lowering statin medication, in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session.

3 Apr 2022

Older people taking statins have lower chance of developing parkinsonism later, study suggests

Parkinsonism is a term for a group of neurological conditions that cause movement problems including tremors, slowed movement and stiffness, with Parkinson's disease being one of the better knowns causes.

24 Mar 2022

Elevated triglyceride levels may increase risk of second stroke, even while on statin therapy

Stroke can have many causes. An atherothrombotic stroke is caused by a clot that forms from plaques that build up within blood vessels in the brain.

16 Mar 2022

Link between 'bad' cholesterol and CVD outcomes may not be as strong as previously believed

New research from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has revealed that the link between 'bad' cholesterol (LDL-C) and poor health outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke, may not be as strong as previously thought.

14 Mar 2022

New smartphone app can calculate users’ genetic risk for coronary artery disease

A Scripps Research team developed a smartphone app that can calculate users' genetic risk for coronary artery disease (CAD)-; and found that users at high risk sought out appropriate medication after using the app.

14 Mar 2022

Study shows the true prevalence of statin intolerance worldwide is between 6 to 10%

As many as one in two patients stop taking statins, reduce the dose or take them irregularly because they believe the cholesterol-lowering drugs cause muscle pain and other side-effects.

16 Feb 2022

Lung cancer patients with coronary artery calcium burden have greater risk of cardiovascular events

Lung cancer patients with higher amounts of coronary artery calcium have an increased risk of an adverse cardiovascular event as a result of thoracic radiation therapy compared to patients with no coronary artery calcium.

11 Feb 2022

Investigational cancer drug mimics the metabolic and therapeutic effects of fasting, mice study shows

An investigational cancer drug that starves tumors of their energy supply also shows evidence of improving whole body metabolism, according to a new study in mice from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

19 Jan 2022

Risk factors affect cardiovascular disease risk even in patients with no coronary artery calcium

Among patients with no detectable coronary artery calcium, those who smoke, have diabetes or hypertension nonetheless have the highest risk of cardiovascular disease events, according to a study published in the journal Circulation.

18 Jan 2022

Fewer than 1 in 5 U.S. adults with Type 2 diabetes meet targets to reduce heart disease risk

Fewer than 1 in 5 adults with Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. are meeting targets to reduce heart disease risk. Fortunately, available therapies can help when combined with new approaches that address social determinants of health and other barriers to care, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Association's flagship journal Circulation.

10 Jan 2022

Statin treatment shown to be cost-effective for lowering cholesterol in young adults

Statin therapy has been shown cost-effective for lowering cholesterol in young adults, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

3 Dec 2021