2023-04-22 06:00:00
High cholesterol is dangerous. Heart Prof. Ulrich Laufs explains how tablet therapy with statins protects against heart attacks and strokes.
Excessively high cholesterol levels increase the risk of dramatic vascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. But you can do something about high cholesterol (see table). It is often possible to keep the concentration of blood lipids under control with a change in diet, more exercise and stopping smoking. Sometimes these lifestyle measures alone do not help. Then the doctors prescribe tablets – in many cases so-called statins
Recommendations of the German Heart Foundation for cholesterol levels
| Patient group with risk assessment | Target value for LDL cholesterol |
| Healthy people at low risk of cardiovascular disease | < 116 mg/dl (< 3,0 mmol/l) |
| Healthy people with a moderately increased risk, for example due to being overweight or slightly elevated blood pressure | < 100 mg/dl (<2,6 mmol/l) |
| Patients at high risk, for example people with severe high blood pressure, genetically high cholesterol levels or smokers | < 70 mg/dl (<1,8 mmol/l) |
| Patients with a very high risk of cardiovascular diseases – including, for example, patients with diabetes | < 55 mg/dl (< 1,4 mmol/l) |
| Patients at very high risk who are already taking statins and who have had a heart event (such as a heart attack) for the second time within two years | < 40 mg/dl (<1,0 mmol/l) |
Statins can reduce heart attack risk by 25 to 30 percent
If the LDL cholesterol level is too high, statins are one of the most important cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins inhibit the body’s production of cholesterol. As a result, the liver and cells absorb more LDL cholesterol from the blood. This is how the cholesterol level can be lowered. Your doctor will tell you what to look out for when taking statins. “With statins, for example, after a heart attack, the risk of another heart attack can be reduced by 25 to 30 percent per year,” explains heart specialist Professor Ulrich Laufs from the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Heart Foundation. “Similarly, a significant reduction in the risk of stroke is possible with statins.”
Expert from the German Heart Foundation: prejudice against statins not justified
Statins are among the most prescribed drugs worldwide. Therefore, the distrust of this drug group is great, reports the German Heart Foundation. Again and again, patients say that statins are only useful for the pharmaceutical industry. According to Professor Thomas Meinertz from the German Heart Foundation, this is a mistake. The effectiveness of statins is well documented. The drugs lower the LDL cholesterol and thereby inhibit the development of arteriosclerosis. In this way, they protect against heart attacks and strokes.
Studies on statins show protection against stroke and heart attack
“Since the ‘Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study’ with 4444 patients proved in 1994 that the statin simvastatin is effective against heart attacks, a large number of scientific studies with various statins have confirmed this effect against heart attacks and strokes,” explains Meinertz.
Only one to three out of 100,000 patients have to stop taking statins because of severe side effects
Some patients are also skeptical about taking statins for fear of side effects. “In general, however, the drugs are well tolerated,” say the Heart Foundation experts. “ The most common side effect is muscle pain in the thighs and arms, which can occur especially with high doses. However, scientific studies have shown that this side effect only occurs in one percent of those affected. In many cases, the pain can be controlled by adjusting the dosage. Only one to three out of 100,000 patients have such severe side effects that the statins have to be stopped.”
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
1682144433
#cholesterol #statins #Doctor #explains #stroke #protection