Re: Statin drugs lower heart attack death-study


James216440@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> So what in the world is the surprise about this result? It is old news
> reported by the Cleveland Clinic a year or two ago. It simply is one
> more dramatic bit of clinical evidence that the benefits have little or
> nothing to do with cholesterol. But we have known that for several
> years now. The evidence is very clear.
>
> For all you believers in using this drug class on a chronic basis as a
> prophalactic just remember what the actual long term clinical results
> actually show. Namely that you are buying VERY little life expectancy.
> When people with diagnosed coronary disease are put in clinical trials
> the life expectancy gain for the treated population is a huge 26 days!
> Hardly dramatic. And for the two or three % who actually do avoid a
> fatal heart attack in the first five years of treatment do not live
> with your eyes shut. Those fatal heart attacks are not prevented.
> They are simply postponed.
>
> Now postpone is not a bad outcome. If it were not for the rampant side
> effects it would be a great outcome. But when in excess of 95% of the
> treated population gains no benefit at all and still risks dramatic and
> permanent side effects is an average gain of 26 days of life expectancy
> a worthwhile outcome?
>
> Never the less I whole heartedly support use of this class of drugs in
> the aftermath of angioplasty, bypass surgery or a MI. The evidence is
> clear that such treatment offers considerable benefit in the first
> month or two. The risk of significant and permanent side effects on
> such short term useage is nil. After that they are a waste of time,
> financial resources that could be better spent in other ways and a
> considerable risk to the user.
>
> Of course people like L are blinded by fear and will deny the results
> of the clinical trials. And people like Zee are blinded by personal
> suffering and will deny the benefits of short term use in acute
> situations. So both sides will flame this post. Too bad neither side
> will look at the data and make rational choices.


I won't flame you. I and the internist doing my admitting work made a
rational choice; it could be death defying for me to use a statin if I
was in an immune compromised situation (medical mishap while in
hospital and comatose).

The internist wanted all drug reactions noted: "allergies and
reactions" was how it was posed; and so penicillin and penicillin
crosses, and some forms of the '...caine" family of drugs, and statins,
were noted on my chart. They, you see, do not want to be liable for a
negligence suit...for me or *any* patient.

It's common sense.






>
>
>
> listener wrote:
> > They aren't "talking" about it. They actually "did" it. And what's so
> > surprising about it?
> >
> > "Patients who had not been prescribed statins in the past but were
> > given one within 24 hours of hospitalization were 58 percent less
> > likely to die." So, knowing that, if you ended up in the hosptial with an
> > MI (god forbid) and they said "Here, take this statin" would you say to
> > the doctor "No!please read Dr. Jay Cohen's book WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT
> > STATIN DRUGS AND THEIR NATURAL ALTERNATIVES and this 80 page document put
> > together by Sharon Hope. Thank you."
> >
> > L.
> >
> > "Bill" <xxx@xxxxx> wrote in
> > news:GyMQe.359$sF6.326@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
> >
> > > They are talking about giving this right after an MI. Surprising.
> > >
> > > Bill
> > >
> > > _______________________
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Statin drugs lower heart attack death-study
> > > Mon Aug 29, 3:29 PM ET
> > >
> > > Giving a heart attack patient a statin drug right away reduces the
> > > chance he or she will die by 50 percent, U.S. researchers said on
> > > Monday.
> > >
> > > Statin drugs are used to lower cholesterol levels and prevent strokes
> > > and heart attacks long-term, but the new study suggests that the drugs
> > > might join aspirin as something to give to patients immediately when
> > > they suffer a heart attack.
> > >
> > > "We've known that long-term statin therapy is beneficial, but this
> > > study provides the strongest clinical evidence to date supporting the
> > > early cardioprotective effects of statins immediately following a
> > > heart attack," said cardiologist Dr. Gregg Fonarow of the University
> > > of California, Los Angeles, who led the study.
> > >
> > > "As statins are already routinely started in myocardial infarction
> > > patients prior to hospital discharge, it would be relatively easy to
> > > administer this medication on arrival to the emergency department,"
> > > Fonarow said in a statement.
> > >
> > > Fonarow and colleagues looked at the records of more than 170,000
> > > heart attack patients.
> > >
> > > Those given statin drugs before hospitalization and within 24 hours
> > > after a heart attack had a 54 percent lower risk of dying in the
> > > hospital compared to patients not on statin therapy, they reported in
> > > the September issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
> > >
> > > Patients who had not been prescribed statins in the past but were
> > > given one within 24 hours of hospitalization were 58 percent less
> > > likely to die.
> > >
> > > "We were surprised that early statin therapy showed such a striking
> > > effect immediately after a heart attack," Fonarow said. "We also found
> > > that statins provided additional protection from other heart attack
> > > complications as well."
> > >
> > > These complications included cardiac arrest, cardiac shock, cardiac
> > > rupture and ventricular fibrillation.
> > >
> > > Statins lower cholesterol levels but they also affect the linings of
> > > the blood vessels. They raise levels of nitric oxide, which in turn
> > > may reduce the inflammation associated with heart attacks.
> > >
> > > The study was funded by Genentech Inc., which does not currently make
> > > a statin drug but which helps support the registry of patients used
> > > for the study, and Fonarow has done research for several companies
> > > that make statins.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >

.

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