More recently, at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association, another study was presented that found treatment with a statin may help patients avoid or delay the need for artery-clearing balloon angioplasty. In study after study, these drugs lower risk of heart attack and stroke by 30 to 40 percent, and they improve survival with a minimum of side effects. Doctors underprescribe them, possibly because they may not be fully aware of all the research including recent studies that show statins can prevent heart attacks in relatively healthy people with no or few heart disease risks. Statin patients may stop taking their medications once they see their cholesterol levels decrease. However, these levels often increase again once the medication is stopped.
Statins are costly and inconvenient.
Some people are unaware of their cholesterol levels, or just how dangerous elevated cholesterol can be to their health. Only time will tell if more people who could benefit from statins will take these drugs. Now, says Dr. Blumenthal, there's convincing evidence that people with at least two risk factors may benefit from statins. In fact, these results were so dramatic that researchers halted the study early, believing it would be unethical to continue depriving the placebo-taking group of lovastatin's benefits. According to Dr. Blumenthal, these results don't suggest that if your cholesterol is only slightly elevated, you should start taking statins.