Every year over half a million Americans suffer with a venous blood clot, those most at risk are the obese, inactive people after injury and others with certain genetic conditions.
The danger is greater as individual’s age and there are nearly 100,000 deaths annually.
Statins are a popular drugs widely used to lower cholesterol throughout the world.
A study carried out by Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been examining their effect on those without any potential heart problems. It has produced some interesting data, which suggests that more of the population should be taking them as a preventative medicine.
The extensive research program was named Jupiter and studied over fifteen thousand adults, throughout 26 countries. The males and females were aged over fifty and sixty respectively and took either a placebo or a high dose of statin.
The data found that the placebo subjects were almost 45 % more likely to suffer from a clot than those taking the statin.
Currently any treatment for venous thromboembolism needs constant monitoring because hemorrhaging is a common side effect. Dr Paul M Ridker, who headed Jupiter, was delighted to announce that this was not the case with the statin.
The particular one used was rosuvastatin, branded as Crestor, and it was the company that manufactures it that paid for the study.
Ridker has gone as far as prescribing this at risk patients with the statin although different professionals believe that more research is required. Jupiter was actually set up to look at other benefits from Crestor, which is the most powerful one on the market.
