Immediate treatment with two cholesterol-lowering drugs could reduce mortality among people suffering acute coronary syndrome, researchers report today.
Professor Maciej Banach, of the Medical University of Lodz in Poland, and colleagues measured the effectiveness of this approach using figures on 1,536 patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Participants were on the national Polish Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes and had been given either a high dose statin alone or together with the high blood cholesterol medication ezetimibe.
Analysis showed that the combination of drugs was linked to a lower overall mortality risk over three years, with the benefit seen within 52 days of starting treatment.
Professor Banach and the team calculate that one death was prevented for every 21 patients taking the combined treatment for three years.
They explain that both drugs are widely available drugs and effective at cholesterol-lowering.
Full details of the study are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association today.
“Patients with acute coronary syndrome, such as those who have already had a heart attack, face a much higher risk of further heart problems,” said Professor Banach.
“Current guidelines, including those on prevention from the European Society of Cardiology, recommend a stepwise approach, first offering a statin only.
“This study shows that if we act quickly and decisively to lower patients’ cholesterol with this combination of treatments, we can drastically reduce the risk of death.”
He added: “Around seven million people suffer acute coronary syndrome every year and the majority of cases are linked to high cholesterol and a build-up of fat in the blood vessels.
“We have effective cholesterol lowering treatments, but we must make sure the people who need them are taking them.”
Lewek, J. et al. Intensive Statin Therapy Versus Upfront Combination Therapy of Statin and Ezetimibe in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis Based on the PL-ACS. Journal of the American Heart Association 6 September 2023; doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.030414
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