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Statin therapy also cuts inflammation
Source: (Methodist DeBakey Heart Center)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
BARCELONA, Spain – Sept. 7, 2006 – A combination statin therapy already proven to lower bad cholesterol by a dramatic 70 percent, now has the added benefit of reducing life-threatening inflammation that can lead to heart disease, a new study shows.
Led by Dr. Christie Ballantyne, cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston, the research team found that patients treated with 40 mg of rosuvastatin and 10 mg ezetimibe gained a 46 percent reduction in C-reactive protein, or CRP, a marker for inflammation.
"Physicians have long relied on blood cholesterol as a key indicator of cardiovascular risk," Ballantyne said in a prepared statement. "but recent research suggests that high risk patients who achieved a low CRP level combined with a low LDL-c level had the fewest cardiovascular events."
The study looked at data from 465 patients in five different countries treated with a combination regimen of 40 mg of rosuvastatin (Crestor®) and 10 mg of ezetimibe (Zetia®). In addition to reducing C-reactive protein, after six weeks, the combination regimen also helped 58 percent of patients reach dual goals of lowering CRP and reducing their levels of LDL-c (bad) cholesterol.
The findings were presented this week at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona, Spain.
The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center is a world-renowned organization that is continuing the ground-breaking work begun by famed heart care pioneer, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, and his associates, who developed many of today's life-saving techniques, tools and procedures at The Methodist Hospital.
SOURCE: Press release from The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center 8/30/06
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