In a recent study from the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, researchers found that treatment with a statin in combination with ezetimibe could benefit patients with a history of coronary heart disease (CHD) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
The benefit from the drug combo is stonier than that from treatment with a statin alone.
In addition, the combination of a statin plus the lipid-lowering drug alirocumab may also provide better health benefits than a statin alone.
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases that originate from the vascular system and/or the heart.
They were the most common cause of death worldwide in 2016, accounting for 31% of all deaths. Of these causes of death, 85% resulted from a heart attack or stroke.
One of the largest modifiable risk factors is a high LDL cholesterol level (LDL = low-density lipoprotein, or ‘bad’ cholesterol).
The reduction in LDL cholesterol is, therefore, an important goal in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
In patients with a history of heart disease, using cholesterol-lowering drugs is recommended. Statins are currently the most commonly prescribed group of drugs in this regard.
Recent research has shown that a combination of statin and ezetimibe has also been used to further reduce LDL cholesterol.
In the study, the researchers examined the benefit of treatment with ezetimibe in combination with a statin to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with a history of heart problems.
They compared this treatment with the treatment with a combination of statin and another drug influencing lipid metabolism.
The team found in patients with a history of heart disease, there was a greater benefit of ezetimibe in combination with a statin versus a statin alone. For these patients, the additional use of ezetimibe reduces the risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke.
The team also found that the combination therapy of a statin plus ezetimibe was not superior to the combination of a statin plus alirocumab.
The findings provide useful information for patients to protect their heart health. Future work needs to confirm these findings in larger population groups.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies about this kidney problem linked to heart failure and findings of this stuff in blood could protect against heart failure, kidney damage.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about common drug combo may prevent ‘broken heart’ when you lost a loved one and results showing two effective ways to quickly restore normal heart rhythm.
Copyright © 2021 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
