‘All diabetes sufferers’ should receive statins

Thousands more patients could benefit from treatment for a range of conditions including heart attacks and strokes, it has been reported.

The Lancet report states that people who suffer from diabetes should receive drugs for cholesterol reduction regardless of whether they display signs of heart disease.

Called statins, the medication cuts the risk of the above conditions, even in people with low levels of cholesterol, according to the BBC.

Professor Colin Baigent, leader the of study, states that people with diabetes are a “clearly-defined group of people” at raised risk of cardiovascular conditions.

“What we’re saying is statins are clearly effective in every type of person with diabetes,” he tells the BBC.

Data from the National Institute of Clinical and Health Excellence issued in 2006 estimates that roughly 3.3 million people are suitable for treatment with statins.

According the support organisation Diabetes UK, one in 20 people will shortly suffer from the condition.