(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Some doctors are calling for people to have more control over their own heart health by allowing statins, medications now prescribed to lower cholesterol, to be bought over the counter.
Cardiologists from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York recommend letting patients get statins without a prescription. The researchers note educating the public and encouraging patient involvement in health care has been shown to be an effective way to improve disease prevention.
The recommendation comes at a time when heart disease is
reaching epidemic levels in the United States and is still the
leading cause of death in this country. The number of Americans
estimated to have coronary heart disease is expected to more than
double by 2050. Cholesterol is one of the main risk factors for
heart disease.
"Even though statins have been available for 20 years and have
proven to be safe and effective in lowering cholesterol, many
patients throughout the world still do not get this treatment,"
lead author Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., from Mount Sinai Medical
Center, was quoted as saying. "We have made only limited progress
tackling coronary heart disease, and we need additional approaches
to prevent this epidemic from continuing."
Several studies show any reduction in low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol levels reduces the risk of coronary heart
disease. Research also suggests taking statins can reduce LDL
levels by as much as 24 percent, and patients who take them become
motivated to learn about other lifestyle changes that can help keep
cholesterol under control, like diet and exercise.
More than 23 million people in the United States are at risk for
developing coronary heart disease, and Dr. Fuster reports a
significant proportion of them could benefit by taking statins but
are not currently doing so. He explains it is this population that
could directly benefit from the greater access and education a
non-prescription statin would provide.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: American Journal of Cardiology, 2007;100:907-910
