Statins slash dangers of heart death by 28% says biggest-ever study

STATINS slash the risk of dying of heart attacks or strokes by 28 per cent, a study has found.

Scientists say the benefits of the cholesterol-busting pills are so clear they should be offered to patients in their 30s and 40s.

The 20-year trial – the biggest of its kind – looked at 5,529 men aged 45 to 64 who were in relatively good health.

Half were given a weak type of statin to take once a day for between five and 20 years, while the remainder were given a placebo, or dummy drug.

Those who took statins were 28 per cent less likely die from a heart attack or stroke within the 20-year time frame. They were also 25 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack during that period.

Although the study only looked at men, the scientists from Imperial College London say similar benefits would be seen in women. Up to six million adults in Britain take statins, which work by lowering the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood.

Many doctors and patients are worried about the long-term effect of taking the drugs, which have been linked to diabetes, muscular pain and memory loss. But supporters – including Nice, the health watchdog – say statins should be prescribed much more widely to prevent thousands of early deaths.

Previous research has found statins are effective at preventing heart attacks and strokes in patients who have already suffered from either.

But this study, published in the journal Circulation, showed they were also very beneficial in men who were in relatively good health, with no history of heart disease. Those who took part in the study all had high cholesterol, a condition affecting up to 10 per cent of British adults which causes blood vessels to become blocked and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Lead author Professor Kausik Ray said statins should be offered to patients as young as 30 who have high cholesterol. ‘There are very clear survival benefits.’

He said. ‘For the first time, we show that statins reduce the risk of death in this specific group of people who appear largely healthy except for very high levels of bad cholesterol.’ The study, carried out jointly with the University of Glasgow, was part-funded by drugs firms who make statins including Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sankyo.

But researchers said the manufacturers ‘had no influence’ on the either the design of the trial or the results. Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘This research further demonstrates the benefits of statins for people who have high levels of cholesterol in their blood.

‘It shows the enduring and longterm benefit of taking statins, including the extent to which they reduce the risk of dying from heart disease.’ But Dr Aseem Malhotra, a consultant cardiologist at Frimley Park Hospital Trust in Surrey, questioned the study. He said that evidence so far had shown that statins did not benefit the ‘overwhelming majority of people’.

WOMEN are being warned that heart attacks do not just affect men amid fears they are less aware of early warning signs.

Symptoms in women are often less obvious and many do not feel sharp chest pain. Instead they may have back or stomach pain, related to a pulled muscle or indigestion.

The number of women visiting hospital with heart disease has risen by 53 per cent in a decade.

There were 642,000 cases last year. This is lower than the 839,000 men affected but experts worry women are playing down the symptoms.

‘Very clear survival benefits’