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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.

Study finds more severe coronary artery disease in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors after chest irradiation

Hodgkin lymphoma survivors have more severe coronary artery disease 20 years after chest irradiation, according to research presented today at ICNC 2017.

8 May 2017

Study finds no increase in muscle-related symptoms when patients are unaware of taking statin therapy

When patients were unaware they were taking statins there was no reported increase in muscle-related symptoms. But, when patients knew they were taking a statin, they were more likely to report symptoms, a finding consistent with the nocebo effect.

4 May 2017

Study suggests ‘synergistic’ link between exercise and vitamin D for better heart health

Johns Hopkins researchers report that an analysis of survey responses and health records of more than 10,000 American adults for nearly 20 years suggests a "synergistic" link between exercise and good vitamin D levels in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

27 Apr 2017

Statins may provide favorable outcomes to patients with HBV- or HCV-related cirrhosis

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) can lead to cirrhosis as well as liver cancer. A Hepatology study from Taiwan has found that statins may provide benefits to patients with HBV- or HCV-related cirrhosis.

24 Apr 2017

GPs’ advice on secondary prevention medications disregarded by some stroke survivors, study finds

Some stroke survivors say they are disregarding general practitioners' advice on secondary prevention medications, such as statins, with some patients stopping their medication completely, according to a study of an online stroke forum led by Queen Mary University of London.

10 Apr 2017

New research finds that statins may have potential role in lowering risk of venous thromboembolism

Further evidence has been found by Universities of Leicester and Bristol researchers to suggest statins could "significantly reduce" the occurrence of blood clotting in certain parts of the body.

28 Mar 2017

Statin drugs may offer treatment option for chronic liver disease

Statin drugs are widely used to manage high cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. But in a new review of more than 50 studies, researchers cite reductions in liver inflammation and improvements in other related factors as reasons why statins make good candidates for treating chronic liver disease.

23 Mar 2017

Modern guidelines may miss some African-Americans eligible for statin therapy

African Americans experience a disproportionately high risk of cardiovascular disease, and statin treatment can be an important tool to lower the risk of plaque building up in the arteries.

20 Mar 2017

Medications, PCI equally beneficial for treating complete blockage in heart's arteries

In patients with a complete blockage in the heart's arteries that persists over time, treatment with medications alone was found to be equal to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure to open blocked arteries, in terms of major adverse events over three years, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

20 Mar 2017

New class of cholesterol-lowering drug alongside statins can reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases

A new class of cholesterol-lowering drug has been found to help patients cut their risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack.

17 Mar 2017

Continuation of statins may improve survival following heart surgery, research shows

Patients on statins should not stop taking the cholesterol-lowering medication before heart surgery—even on the day of surgery, according to an article posted online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

16 Mar 2017

Study: Patients with elevated cholesterol levels face greater risk for rotator cuff surgery failure

Patients with higher cholesterol levels face a significantly greater risk for failure of minimally invasive (arthroscopic) rotator cuff surgery, according to a new study to be presented on Friday, March 17, at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

14 Mar 2017

EuroPrevent 2017 to explore innovative ideas in preventive cardiology

Innovations to prevent heart disease will take centre stage at EuroPrevent 2017 in Malaga, Spain. EuroPrevent is the annual congress of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology, a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology.

6 Mar 2017

Researchers find link between low general cognitive ability and elevated risk of not taking statins

After a heart attack, it is important for patients to take medication that lowers cholesterol levels. In a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers at Uppsala and Umeå Universities have found that general cognitive ability (intelligence) has a bearing, in the first year and two years after the heart attack, on how well men take statins prescribed for them.

24 Feb 2017

Statins could reduce threat of venous thromboembolism, research shows

Statins could hold the key to eradicating one of the most preventable causes of hospital deaths after researchers uncovered a new role for the cholesterol-lowering pill.

19 Jan 2017

UIC chemists pinpoint role of cholesterol in cells

Scientists have long puzzled over cholesterol. It's biologically necessary; it's observably harmful - and nobody knows what it's doing where it's most abundant in cells: in the cell membrane.

18 Jan 2017

TMDU researchers identify metabolic pathway crucial for embryo development

Much has been revealed about how a single fertilized cell, the egg, can develop into a complete organism simply via repeated cycles of cell division. However, many gaps remain in our understanding of how these dividing cells are directed to arrange themselves appropriately at each stage of embryonic development.

18 Jan 2017

Reducing cocaine use can potentially reverse coronary atherosclerosis

People who use cocaine regularly are at high risk of coronary artery disease. A study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, reports that stopping or reducing cocaine use can potentially reverse the process of coronary atherosclerosis. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

12 Jan 2017

Fenofibrate drug may reduce risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes

A new study shows that the drug fenofibrate might reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes who have high levels of triglycerides and low levels of "good" cholesterol, despite being treated with statins.

29 Dec 2016

Saint Louis University geriatrician urges older patients to talk to doctors about too many pills

If you're 65 or older and taking more than four medications, resolve to talk to your doctor about doing a New Year's triage to make sure too many pills aren't making you sick, advises Milta Little, D.O., associate professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University.

26 Dec 2016