State drugs and ezetimibe are already widely used to lower cholesterol. But prescribed together from the beginning, they are more effective.
Tens of thousands of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases could be avoided simply by altering the order of administration of two drugs already used to lower the “bad” cholesterol.
The combination of ezetimibea medicine already used against high cholesterol, e statins (the most used drugs to lower fat in the blood) is much more effective than statins only in decreasing excess lipids in the blood and with it the deaths due to heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems. This is indicated by a study just published on Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
How do the two drugs act? The statins are drugs of widespread prescription that lower the value of total cholesterol, also reducing LDL, low density lipoproteins which transport cholesterol synthesized by the liver to body cells. The LDL is also known as bad cholesterolbecause when present in excessive quantities it deposits on the walls of the arteries, causing dangerous inspections and occlusions.
Ezetimibe, usually prescribed when the sunglasses are not enough, completes the work by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol absorbed in the intestine. According to the new analysis, carried out on the data of 108,000 high risk patients of having a heart attack or stroke or already returning from one of these events, The two drugs would free their maximum potential if used together, and immediately.
A clear advantage. Patients who received The two drugs in combination They had a 19% reduction in the risk of death, a 16% drop in deaths for cardiovascular diseases, and a decrease of almost 20% of serious cardiovascular events including strokes and heart attacks Compared to those who only took statins at high doses. Combined therapy increased by 85% the chances of being able to report LDL cholesterol within the desirable limit of 70mg/dl.
«We estimate that if the combined therapy to reduce the LDL-C it was included in all the treatment guidelines and implemented by doctors everywhere for patients with high cholesterol levels, Over 330,000 deaths would be avoided per year Among the patients who have already suffered a heart attack, and almost 50,000 deaths only in the United States, “says Maciej Banach, cardiologist of the Catholic University John Paul II of Lublin in Poland and the main author of the study.
Lives and money saved. Use a proactive approach and start a therapy with both drugs from the beginning, in high -risk patients, should be based on the conclusion of the study become the privileged choicebecause it would save lives and save the health systems – lightened by the consequences of cardiovascular problems repeated over time.
