In recent years, the benefits of the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins have been repeatedly verified in research studies among people with high cholesterol. Now new studies shed light on their use in people with other conditions.

• One study found that women on estrogen replacement therapy may benefit from taking a statin too. Postmenopausal women who take estrogen alone (instead of full hormone replacement therapy, which includes estrogen and progesterone) are thought to be at increased risk for heart disease. One measure of increased cardiovascular risk is the level of a substance called C-reactive protein, or CRP, which scientists believe may damage the inside of blood vessels. While the level of this substance almost doubled in women taking estrogen alone, the increase in CRP was significantly lower when researchers added a statin to the estrogen treatment. The researchers concluded that taking a statin may thus reduce the risk for heart disease that is associated with estrogen therapy.

• Two studies of statin use in people undergoing revascularization procedures were reported at the recent meeting of the American College of Cardiology. One study found that people who were given a statin after their first angioplasty had a 22 percent lower risk for a major cardiac event over the subsequent three to four years than others who did not take statins. This held true for patients who also had diabetes or other cardiovascular disease. And in a study of patients who had had percutaneous coronary intervention procedures, those who received statins at the time of their procedure reduced their risk of dying in the subsequent 30 days by 60 percent and by 37 percent at six months.

• California researchers found that older women taking statins were less likely to suffer from cognitive impairment, or difficulty thinking, than others. They studied more than 1,000 women with coronary heart disease. Those with higher LDL cholesterol levels performed poorly on a test of mental functioning. Over four years of treatment with statins, LDL cholesterol levels were reduced and the women’s odds of impairment were also reduced. The researchers concluded that lowering high LDL and total cholesterol levels may be a strategy for preventing cognitive impairment in women without dementia.

Related information: Medications - Statins | Women

Sources:

• Koh KK, Schenke WH, Waclawiw MA, et al. Statin attenuates increase in C-reactive protein during estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. Circulation, March 11, 2002;105:1531. (Abs.)
• American College of Cardiology. Reduced LDL cholesterol, lower mortality among benefits of statin therapy with PCI. Meeting Highlights, March 17, 2002.
• Yaffe K, Barrett-Connor E, Lin F, et al. Serum lipoprotein levels, statin use, and cognitive function in older women. Archives of Neurology, March 2002; 59(3):378-384. (Abs.)