Dear all,
My other half found this interesting piece on Statins on
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk which I felt gave a good non-alarmist look at Statins and gave some interesting facts on how Statins can benefit Diabetics who don't even have high cholesterol:
How effective are statins for people with diabetes?
Statins lower cholesterol, but would they make a difference for people with diabetes? Two major studies investigated the benefits.
In both, the effects of a daily dose of a statin versus no treatment was compared in people with diabetes.
Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS)
This study involved nearly 3000 people with Type 2 diabetes aged 40-75.
It looked at the benefits of taking a 10mg dose of atorvastatin daily.
None of the participants had heart disease at the start of the trial, but they did have an extra risk factor for developing it, such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetic retinopathy or protein in the urine indicating diabetic kidney disease.
For those taking the statin, the risk of heart attack reduced by 37 per cent and stroke by 48 per cent.
These benefits were seen regardless of age, sex or whether the cholesterol level was high or low.
The trial's success meant it was halted two years early.
The Heart Protection Study (HPS)
The HPS study involved nearly 6000 people with diabetes aged 40-80.
It looked at the benefits of taking a 40mg dose of simvastatin each day. Just under half of the participants showed signs of cardiovascular disease, while half did not.
It found this routine use of statins cut the number of heart attacks and strokes in both groups by a third.
Cholesterol levels
Ideal level: less than 4mmol/l.
Benefits were also seen in people whose cholesterol levels were not high in the first place (less than 5mmol/l) and in those at the top of the age range.
The results showed statins can prevent cardiovascular disease, because they reduced heart attacks and stroke in people who didn't have cardiovascular disease at the start of the trial.
What are the side effects?
Statins are generally well tolerated. But in some people they cause headaches, affect liver function and cause stomach problems such as abdominal pain, constipation, flatulence, diarrhoea and vomiting. More rarely, they can cause rashes and disorder of the muscles (myopathy).
Where a statin cannot be tolerated, alternative medications such as ezetimibe or a fibrate drug may be tried but these medications do not lower cholesterol to the same degree as a statin.
Should everyone with diabetes take a statin?
This is currently a matter of intense debate. All people with diabetes over the age of 40 should take a statin, according to the NICE guidelines (2008). Statins may be prescribed in diabetic patients who are under 40 years of age if there are additional cardiovascular risk factors or if there is diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) or kidney disease (neuropathy) present.
The CARDS and HPS studies have clearly shown that statins reduce cardiovascular risk, regardless of how low cholesterol levels are in the first place.
This suggests there shouldn't be a level of blood cholesterol below which statin treatment is considered unbeneficial. More research is now in progress to try and clarify the broader use of statins in diabetes treatment.
In the long term
Tackling the cardiovascular risk of diabetes is every bit as important as regulating your blood sugar level. For many people it is more important, and statins are now among the most powerful tools we have to influence this risk.
On the site I've copied this from it does say this was updated in 2008, so perhaps things may have changed a bit since then? But it's still interesting stuff!!
Griffy.
