Heart disease patients avoid blood clots with statins

Friday November 6th, 2009

Patients on cholesterol-lowering statin therapy are also protected against dangerous blood clots, new research suggests.

Dr Danai Khemasuwan of the Albert Einstein Medical Centre, Philadelphia, USA, and colleagues looked at the link between statin use and the risk of venous thromboembolism.

They reviewed details of 593 patients with a mean age of 68 years, admitted to hospital with a heart attack or ischemic stroke. Seventy-three per cent were on statins. Overall, the rate of venous thromboembolism was 13 per cent.

Patients who were not taking statins were three times more likely to develop venous thromboembolism than those who were. The rate was 26 per cent versus eight per cent.

At CHEST 2009, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, the team explained that even after controlling for venous thromboembolism risk factors, statin use was still associated with a reduced risk.

High-dose statins (more than 40mg per day) appeared to have a greater benefit than standard dose statins.

Dr Khemasuwan said: "Research has indicated an association between atherosclerosis and venous thrombosis. However, in our study, statin therapy demonstrated a protective effect on this group of patients, reducing their overall incidence of developing venous thromboembolism."

The same team have previously showed that statins have a similar effect on cancer patients.

The president of the American College of Chest Physicians, Dr Kalpalatha Guntupalli, commented: "Venous thromboembolism leads to significant morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs in Americans each year. Although more research is needed, statins may prove effective in helping to reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism in specific patient populations."

Presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 31-November 5 in San Diego, California, USA.

Tags: Heart Health | North America | Pharmaceuticals

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