Intensive statin therapy reduces atherosclerosis risk

Intensive treatment with statins can partially reverse the build up of plaque in the coronary arteries, preventing the progression of coronary atherosclerosis.

New research into cholesterol-lowering intensive statin therapy has found that the treatment does in fact result in a significant regression of atherosclerosis in patients ? a finding never before observed in a study using statin drugs.

Scientists at various community and tertiary care centres across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia conducted the tests, measuring plaque build-up in 507 patients with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) treatment.

IVUS uses a tiny ultrasound probe which is inserted into the coronary arteries to measure plaque levels.

The study showed that with intensive therapy, baseline LDL cholesterol of 130.4 mg/dL dropped to 60.8 mg/dL in the study patients ? a reduction of 53.2 per cent.

“Previous similar studies with statins have shown slowing of coronary disease, but not regression. This regimen significantly lowered bad cholesterol, and surprisingly, markedly increased good cholesterol levels,” said Dr Steven Nissen lead author of the study and president-elect of the American College of Cardiology.

“We conclude that very low LDL levels (below current guidelines), when accompanied by raised HDL, can regress, or partially reverse, the plaque build-up in the coronary arteries,” he added.

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