Statin Side Effects: New Studies Shed Light on Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment Prescription

The use of statins is well-known for being the number one way to lower levels of bad cholesterol in the body. However, based on the new guidelines studied by two major cardiologist groups, blood cholesterol levels will no longer be the main trouble but a person’s overall risk of getting heart problems in the next 10 years. 

The New York Times reports that two new studies have confirmed that the new guidelines will be better at assessing and identifying patients who might suffer from a heart condition and might be required to use statins in the long run as maintenance.

Based on the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Philip Greenland of Northwest University and Dr. Michael S. Lauer of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said the study will now offer statins to most patients suffering from any heart conditions.

TIME Magazine adds that Dr. Udo Hoffman, director of the cardiac MR, PET and CT Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, has led the study and has conducted an experiment to verify if the new guidelines will produce good results.

The new study has compared 2435 individuals with family history of heart conditions as they are related to the subjects of the Framingham Heart Study. The results have shown that the participants in the new study have a higher risk of getting heart conditions, while others didn't show any risks at all. Using cholesterol-based guidelines, Dr. Hoffman has found that 14 percent should have been given statins while 39 percent would have qualified to the new guidelines.

WebMD further writes that the researchers believe the best effect the new guidelines may bring is that it can improve health and save more lives.

Co-author Dr. Christopher O’donnel of the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute thinks that the guidelines will improve the ability of medical experts to provide accurate treatments to patients who need them most. It will also be better at detecting patients who do not require the use of statins.

However, the studies will not completely dispel the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Instead, they can provide more proof that the new guidelines actually work and may prevent detractors from giving negative feedback and criticisms later on.