Statins reduce risk of death amongst people with diabetes

Statins, the cholesterol lowering drugs making a big impact in the medical professio, could apparently be used by people with diabetes, even those that exhibit no signs of heart problems.
The use of statins could be extended to include millions of new patients if the reports are confirmed. Researchers believe that statins could be suitable for people with no history of heart disease, but who have other risk factors including high blood pressure and diabetes .
The research team, from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, examined 10 trials involving over 70,000 patients.
Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundatio, Cathy Ross, reportedly commented: “It is well established that most people with heart and circulatory disease benefit from taking statins. This study brings together evidence from several clinical trials to highlight that statins can benefit people who don’t have symptoms of heart and circulatory disease, termed ‘primary prevention. In Britain today, only people considered at a high risk of developing heart disease are prescribed statins for primary prevention. As the evidence accumulates and statins become less expensive it is likely that the threshold for using statins in primary prevention will fall.”