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Health News Results - 51
Statin Meds & Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- March 5, 2024
- Full Page
Statins have become the miracle medicine of modern heart care, lowering cholesterol levels and and guarding against heart attacks in millions of Americans.
In fact, a running joke among doctors holds that statins are so helpful they should be put in the water supply.
...
Could Inhaling a Statin Help Ease Asthma, COPD?
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 5, 2024
- Full Page
Drugs already used by millions to lower cholesterol might someday have a new role: Relieving asthma and COPD.
That's the hope of a new line of research underway at the University of California, Davis.
A study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health is seek...
Statins Might Slow Progression of Alzheimer's Disease
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- December 28, 2023
- Full Page
In preliminary findings, Swedish researchers say taking a cholesterol-lowering statin could also slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
The study can't prove cause-and-effect, but might pave the way to a trial that could confirm such a link, said study author
Taking Statins After 'Bleeding' Stroke Could Help Prevent Another Stroke
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 31, 2023
- Full Page
Taking cholesterol-lowering statin medication after a bleeding stroke, or intracerebral hemorrhage, may lower the risk of a subsequent stroke caused by a blood clot, according to new research.
“Previous research has had mixed results on the risk of strok...
Statins' Effectiveness May Rise With Patient Age: Study
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- August 1, 2023
- Full Page
Elderly adults who start on a statin may see an even bigger drop in their "bad" cholesterol levels than their younger counterparts do, a new study suggests.
The study, of nearly 84,000 Danish patients, found that those age 75 and up typically showed a stronger response a...
Minorities, Women Are Shortchanged When It Comes to Statins
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- July 26, 2023
- Full Page
In yet another example of inequities in U.S. health care, new research indicates that many women and minority men who need statins to protect their heart aren't getting them.
“The recommendation to use statins to treat and prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular d...
A Statin a Day Keeps Heart Trouble Away for Those With HIV
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 25, 2023
- Full Page
Heart disease is a high risk for people with HIV, but a new study finds that taking statins significantly reduces the risk of serious heart incidents.
People with HIV who took a daily statin pill lowered their risk of stroke, heart attack or surgery to open clogged arter...
Statins Cut Heart Risks for Folks Living With HIV
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- April 13, 2023
- Full Page
As people with HIV live longer they're at risk of premature heart disease. But a new study finds statin drugs can cut the risk of serious heart problems by more than one-third.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health trial found the cholesterol-lowering drugs so effective...
1 in 5 Folks at High Heart Risk Refuse to Take a Statin
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- February 28, 2023
- Full Page
Twenty percent of folks who are at high risk for heart disease refuse statins that could help prevent it, researchers report.
They found that women were about 20% more likely than men to decline statin drugs when they were first recommended and about 50% more likely to n...
Statins May Lower Risk of Deadly 'Bleeding' Strokes
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- December 8, 2022
- Full Page
Statins may do more than help your heart: New research shows the cholesterol-lowering drugs may also lower your risk for a bleeding stroke.
An intracerebral hemorrhage, which involves bleeding in the brain, comprises about 15% to 30% of strokes, according to the American...
'How Can I Prevent Heart Disease?' Docs Give Different Answers to Men, Women
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- December 5, 2022
- Full Page
Doctors give men and women different advice to head off heart disease, even though guidelines for both are the same.
Men were 20% more likely to be prescribed statins to lower blood levels of bad cholesterol compared with women, a new study found.
Women, meanwhile...
Biggest Study Yet Finds No Link Between Statins, Muscle Aches
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 29, 2022
- Full Page
Cholesterol-lowering statins are proven lifesavers, but they've also gained a reputation for causing muscle aches and pains in a good number of patients.
That reputation is undes...
Statins Tied to Lower Risk of Parkinson's-Like Symptoms
- Consumer news
- March 24, 2022
- Full Page
Millions of people taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol may get an unanticipated benefit: They may be less likely to develop movement and balance problems like those seen in Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests.
The study looked at the relationship between...
Statins: Good for the Heart, Maybe Not So Good for Diabetes
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- October 5, 2021
- Full Page
Statins are proven to lower cholesterol, but they may also come with a downside for patients with diabetes: A new study finds they may make the blood sugar disease worse.
Researchers found that among those taking statins, 56% saw their diabetes progress, compared with 48...
Statin Cholesterol Drugs May Help Fight Ulcerative Colitis
- September 16, 2021
- Full Page
Millions of people take statins to lower their cholesterol, and new research suggests these drugs may also ease ulcerative colitis.
Statin Users May Have Added Protection Against Severe COVID-19
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- July 20, 2021
- Full Page
Could cholesterol-lowering statins help lower your risk of dying from COVID-19?
For patients with a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, the answer appears to be yes. At least that's the conclusion of a new study that enlisted roughly 10,500 patients across 1...
Statin's Health Benefits Far Outweigh Any Potential Harms: Study
- Robert Preidt
- July 16, 2021
- Full Page
The heart benefits of cholesterol-lowering statins in people without heart disease far exceed the risks of any side effects, a new review finds.
Statins are widely prescribed to people with heart disease, and recent guidelines recommend greater preventive use of the drug...
Could a Type of Statin Raise Dementia Risks?
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- June 15, 2021
- Full Page
Certain cholesterol-lowering drugs might speed dementia in some older adults whose memories are starting to fail, a small, preliminary study suggests.
The researchers found that of 300 older adults with mildly impaired thinking and memory, those using "lipophilic" statin...
Odds for Death, Hospital Care Rise When Statins Are Stopped
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- June 14, 2021
- Full Page
Living longer often means living with multiple health problems and numerous medications to manage them. Understandably, many doctors and their patients wonder if any of these drugs can be discontinued safely.
A new study from Italy suggests statins should not be culled f...
Study Debunks Notion That Statin Meds Trigger Muscle Aches
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- March 1, 2021
- Full Page
People taking statin drugs often complain of muscle aches, but a new study finds the medications are unlikely to be the culprit.
The results come from a trial involving patients who had quit taking their statins, or were considering quitting, due to muscle pain.
Th...
Gay, Lesbian Adults Often Miss Out on Cholesterol Meds
- Robert Preidt
- December 2, 2020
- Full Page
Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults are less likely to take cholesterol-lowering statins to prevent heart disease than heterosexual adults, even though they have a higher heart disease risk, according to a new study.
Researchers conducted an online survey of more tha...
Are Statin Side Effects 'All in Your Head'?
- Alan Mozes
- November 19, 2020
- Full Page
Most of the side effects commonly blamed on cholesterol-lowering statins may actually be the product of patients' imaginations, new British research claims.
The finding follows a study of 60 patients who had been taking statins but stopped because of reported muscle ache...
Computer 'Nudge' Spurs Doctors to Prescribe Statins to Heart Patients
- Robert Preidt
- October 9, 2020
- Full Page
Prescriptions of cholesterol-lowering statins for heart disease patients rose significantly when doctors were prompted to choose whether or not to order them, according to a new study.
It included 82 cardiologists and more than 11,000 patients. Doctors randomly recei...
Statins Going Generic Saved Medicare Billions
- Robert Preidt
- September 14, 2020
- Full Page
Here's evidence that prescription drugs don't have to cost a fortune: New research finds Medicare saved billions as more generic cholesterol-lowering medications became available, even though the number of Americans using the drugs increased.
"One of the most importa...
Study Casts Doubt on Value of Cholesterol Drugs
- Serena Gordon
- August 4, 2020
- Full Page
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide take cholesterol-lowering drugs, like statins, but now a new review suggests that many folks don't benefit from these medications.
The researchers said the review of 35 randomized controlled trials failed to show a consistent...
In Rare Cases, Diabetes & Cholesterol Drug Combo Could Be Toxic
- Serena Gordon
- August 3, 2020
- Full Page
Taking the statin Crestor in combination with the diabetes drug canagliflozin (Invokana) may have the potential to trigger statin toxicity, a new case report suggests.
Although this report details the problem in just one woman, the researchers noted concern because ...
75 or Older? Statins Can Still Benefit Your Heart
- Dennis Thompson
- July 7, 2020
- Full Page
Older adults with healthy hearts probably would benefit from taking a cholesterol-lowering statin, a new study contends.
People 75 and older who were free of heart disease and prescribed a statin wound up with a 25% lower risk of death from any cause and a 20% ...
Cancer Patients Less Likely to Be Prescribed Heart Meds: Study
- Robert Preidt
- June 16, 2020
- Full Page
Heart disease is on the rise among cancer patients and survivors, but they're less likely than people without cancer to be prescribed medicines to protect their heart, a new study finds.
Heart disease has become a leading cause of long-term preventable death in cance...
Women Less Likely to Get Standard Heart Medications
- Amy Norton
- May 20, 2020
- Full Page
It's a myth that heart attacks are a "man's disease." Yet a new research review confirms that women remain less likely than men to get medications routinely recommended for preventing heart trouble and strokes.
Researchers found that across 43 international studies, ...
Fewer Americans Have High Cholesterol
- Steven Reinberg
- April 22, 2020
- Full Page
The number of American adults with high cholesterol dropped nearly 8 percentage points from 2000 to 2018, health officials reported Wednesday.
By 2018, just over 11%#37; of adults age 20 and over had high cholesterol, a major cause of heart disease, according to a ...
Statins Might Reduce Harms From Breast Cancer Chemo
- Amy Norton
- March 20, 2020
- Full Page
Cholesterol-lowering statins are commonly used to help prevent heart disease. Now a new study hints that they could shield women's hearts from the harms of certain breast cancer drugs.
The study focused on women in Canada who'd been treated with either chemotherapy d...
Cholesterol Drugs Might Help Curb 'High-Risk' Prostate Cancers
- Robert Preidt
- February 14, 2020
- Full Page
Drugs that many men with prostate cancer might already be taking -- cholesterol-lowering statins -- may help extend their survival if they have a "high-risk" form of the disease, new research suggests.
High-risk patients include men with high blood levels of prostate...
Healthy Habits Can Slide After Starting Heart Medications
- Amy Norton
- February 5, 2020
- Full Page
Some people let healthy habits fall by the wayside after they start medications for high cholesterol or high blood pressure, a new study finds.
Of more than 41,000 middle-aged Finnish adults researchers followed, those who started on cholesterol or blood pressure dru...
AHA News: Statins May Do Double Duty on Heart Disease and Cancer
- January 6, 2020
- Full Page
About 40 million adults in the U.S. take a statin to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk for heart disease. They might also be getting an added anti-cancer benefit, a growing body of evidence suggests.
Scientists first began investigating a connection betwee...
Statins Won't Harm Aging Brains, and May Even Help
- Steven Reinberg
- November 18, 2019
- Full Page
Concerns that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can impair brain health appear to be unfounded, according to new research.
"Statins won't make you stupid or cause memory loss," said lead researcher Dr. Katherine Samaras, a professor of medicine at St. Vincent's Cli...
Is That Statin Doing You Any Good?
- Robert Preidt
- October 17, 2019
- Full Page
Many people who take cholesterol-lowering statins may not benefit from them, researchers say.
Drugs like atorvastatin (Lipitor) and fluvastatin (Lescol) provide little value to people without heart disease, new research shows. Yet these heart-healthy folks represent...
For Kids With Genetic Condition, Statins May Be Lifesavers
- Amy Norton
- October 16, 2019
- Full Page
When children with genetically high cholesterol are prescribed statins, it can drastically cut their risk of heart disease and death before the age of 40, a new study finds.
At issue is a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), an inherited genetic disor...
AHA News: Why Aren't More Stroke Survivors Getting Statins?
- September 26, 2019
- Full Page
People with a history of stroke are less likely than those with heart disease to get cholesterol-lowering statin drugs despite the benefits, a new study has found.
Statins help protect the heart and brain by preventing artery plaques — buildups of cholesterol,...
Poor Circulation in Legs? Statin Meds Can Keep You Living Longer
- Dennis Thompson
- September 4, 2019
- Full Page
Folks with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a much lower risk of death if they take cholesterol-lowering statins as directed by their doctor, a new study reports.
About 200 million people worldwide suffer from PAD, a condition in which arteries feeding blood to the...
AHA News: Why Do Women Get Statins Less Frequently Than Men?
- August 19, 2019
- Full Page
Women are less likely than men to be treated with cholesterol-lowering statins - or get them prescribed at guideline-recommended intensity levels when they do, according to a new study that also looked at reasons behind the discrepancies.
Statins help reduce the ris...
Higher Cost of New Cholesterol Drugs Putting Patients at Risk: Study
- Dennis Thompson
- July 23, 2019
- Full Page
Heart attacks, strokes and other heart problems are more likely in high-risk patients denied access to cutting-edge cholesterol-busting drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors, a new study reports.
Patients are 16% more likely to have a heart-related health crisis if their P...
Statins May Lower Risk of Stroke After Cancer Radiotherapy
- Steven Reinberg
- June 19, 2019
- Full Page
Radiation treatment for cancer can damage the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk for a stroke or heart attack. But a new study suggests cholesterol-lowering drugs can significantly reduce that risk.
The researchers reported that taking statins may lower the...
Heart Attack Treatment Could Cut 'Bad' Cholesterol by Half Within Hours
- Amy Norton
- May 22, 2019
- Full Page
Imagine a procedure that filters "bad" LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream in a matter of hours.
The procedure, called LDL apheresis, works somewhat like kidney dialysis. Small amounts of blood are gradually removed from the body through an IV, then passed through ...
Bad Info May Be Scaring Patients Away From Heart-Healthy Statins
- Dennis Thompson
- March 27, 2019
- Full Page
More than a quarter of people who could benefit from taking statins don't, and a new survey suggests that while not enough doctors are prescribing the cholesterol-lowering drugs, fears about side effects also play a part.
"There is so much misinformation about statin...
Prescription Fish Oil Pill Lowers Heart Attack Risk in Those Already on Statins
- Alan Mozes
- March 18, 2019
- Full Page
MONDAY, March 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who have high triglycerides and take cholesterol-lowering statins to lower their risk for heart attack or stroke can cut that risk by another 30 percent by adding a high-dose omega-3 fatty acid pill, investigators rep...
Despite Big Heart Benefits, Far Too Many Skip Statins
- Serena Gordon
- March 18, 2019
- Full Page
People who've already had a heart attack or stroke can cut their odds for another one in half if they regularly take cholesterol-lowering statins.
Yet new research found that only about 6 percent of patients take these drugs as prescribed by their doctor.
...
New Drug Could Help Those With Tough-to-Treat Cholesterol
- Dennis Thompson
- March 14, 2019
- Full Page
People whose high cholesterol is resistant to treatment with statin drugs may soon have a new treatment option.
This new class of drugs helps block synthesis of artery-clogging cholesterol, researchers explained. The drugs target an enzyme called ATP citrate lyase (ACL...
Meds for Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Help the Heart -- But Maybe Not the Mind
- Alan Mozes
- February 27, 2019
- Full Page
While effective at cutting heart risks, blood pressure and cholesterol drugs may not help preserve seniors' brain health, new research finds.
That conclusion came from the tracking of more than 1,600 men and women in 21 countries.
Over an average span of n...
Statins Help the Heart, No Matter What Your Age
- Robert Preidt
- February 1, 2019
- Full Page
Cholesterol-lowering statins are already known to help cut heart risks for seniors and the middle-aged. Now, research confirms the meds can also help people aged 75 and older.
"Statin therapy has been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease in a wide range of people...
Common Heart, Diabetes Meds May Help Ease Mental Illness
- Amy Norton
- January 10, 2019
- Full Page
A new study is raising the question of whether certain cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes drugs could help manage mental illnesses like schizophrenia.
The findings come from a study of over 142,000 Swedish patients with serious mental illnesses -- including sch...