Giving cholesterol-lowering drugs to heart attack patients in the hospital can substantially improve their chances of survival, Swedish researchers suggest in another study underscoring the benefits of the quick use of statins. In the study of 19,599 patients, those given statins at or before their release from the hospital were about 25 percent less likely to die within a year than those who did not receive the drugs. Statins, sold in the United States under such brand names as Pravachol and Lipitor, are a class of drugs that reduce cholesterol, which can cause fatty plaque buildups along artery walls.
Heart attacks occur when pieces of plaque break off and clog an artery.
In the past, doctors have waited a month or two to prescribe statins for heart attack patients because the attacks can cause inaccurate cholesterol readings. The Swedish researchers said their findings, published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that statins can also help when used soon after an attack, when the plaque might still be unstable. Benefits A study of more than 16,000 European mothers offers some of the strongest evidence yet that breast-feeding makes babies healthier. Babies whose mothers participated in an intensive breast-feeding program had significantly fewer intestinal infections and less eczema. Other studies have linked breast-feeding with similar benefits and a host of others, including fewer earaches, colds and asthma.