2023-10-17 12:49:00
Fatima Yasser wrote Tuesday, October 17, 2023 03:49 PM
Scientists have discovered that cholesterol medications are a hope for treating heart patients, as experts at the University of Leicester believe that medications Cholesterol It can slow the growth of aneurysms, which cause the death of 2,200 Britons every year, according to what was revealed by the British newspaper “The Sun”.
There is currently no treatment for aneurysms, as they cause swelling in the main artery of the heart and can lead to its explosion. This causes the death of regarding 80% of patients as a result of the rupture and aneurysm of their blood vessels, although many of them avoid That’s by surgery.
Professor Matt Bown, one of the study’s researchers, said: “This discovery will be a huge advance. Although it is relatively common, the only option we can offer patients is regular monitoring which might be followed by surgery if the aneurysm becomes very large. We hope that… “Our findings provide the foundation for our push toward the first drug treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms.”
The report explained that the aorta is the one that pumps blood from the heart to the brain and the rest of the body, and its thickness is regarding 2 cm, but an aneurysm can cause it to swell up to 5.5 cm, exposing it to the risk of bursting and bleeding.
People over the age of 65 are most at risk, and the accumulation of fat in the arteries, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and weight gain increase the risk, so Professor Bowen examined the DNA of 39,000 people with aneurysms, and found a close connection to the gene. It’s called PCSK9.
When they blocked this gene in laboratory mice, their aneurysms grew more slowly. Drugs to block the gene already exist in humans, called PCSK9 inhibitors, and they are used to reduce high cholesterol.
So the researchers are planning further trials to see if they can also slow or shrink aneurysms.
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