Instruction: Tomas is a 50-yr-old nonsmoking male who was recently invited by colleagues to participate in a 10-km trail run. He's been walking for 40 minutes 3 days a week, something he's maintained “for years”. His goal is to run the entire 10K race without stopping. He reports having what he describes as a “mild heart attack” at 45 years old, completed cardiac rehabilitation, and has had no problems since. He takes a statin and a low-dose aspirin daily. During his last visit (2 years ago) with his cardiologist, no changes were noted in his medical condition. Can you brainstorm reasons why Tomas's physician would prescribe a statin? Make sure to explain how this medication works.

Response: Statins are drugs that can lower your cholesterol, which can help lower Tomas’s total cholesterol and reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. His physician may have prescribed him this as he has had a history of cardiovascular disease (specifically a heart attack), and the statin is primarily a preventative measure against future heart attacks. Statins block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol. This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood.