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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : May 17, 2014 12:02 PM IST
Researchers have withdrawn their statements about the harmful side effects of statins, as the heart pills which are taken by millions every day have been confirmed as safe. They accept that their research, published in the respected British Medical Journal, which claimed the drugs caused higher rates of diabetes, tiredness and muscle pain, was incorrect, the Daily Express reported.
However, there are fears that thousands of patients' lives could have been needlessly put at risk if they followed the research's advice and stopped taking their medication, vital for preventing heart attacks and stroke. Others who may have benefited from taking the pills could also have failed to start taking statins because of the fears. The case has echoes of the 1998 MMR catastrophe, when the triple vaccine was wrongly linked to autism in an article in The Lancet. Millions of children are still at risk of catching measles as a result.
Experts acted to assure heart patients that statins are safe and they should continue taking their medication as prescribed by their doctor. Dr Tim Chico, honorary consultant cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, asserted that statins save lives, and this is beyond doubt and is one of the most well proven treatments doctors can use for any disease.
What are statins?
Statins are a class of drugs that are prescribed for lowering the levels of cholesterol in the blood. When the blood cholesterol levels are high, cholesterol gets deposited on the walls of the arteries along with other fatty substances to form a plaque. This deposition is linked to a number of diseases and conditions includingatherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke and heart attack. Statins act by blocking or obstructing a substance in the liver that is required to synthesize cholesterol. When the synthesis of cholesterol by the liver is inhibited, cholesterol from the blood is absorbed which causes a drop and prevents further blocks in the blood vessels. Commonly used statins include atorvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin and pravastatin. Statins are usually the first line of treatment provided to patients with high cholesterol because apart from lowering cholesterol they also work to enhance the functioning of blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, improve plaque stability as well as reduce stress on the cells. The 2014 guidelines on cholesterol (published by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), suggests that patients who have a 10 year risk of heart disease greater than 7.5 should be prescribed statins.
With inputs from ANI
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