Why is the main goal of cholesterol lowering treatment lower LDL?

Why is the main goal of cholesterol lowering treatment lower LDL?

Lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have it.

What are the pros of using cholesterol lowering medications?

Lowering your cholesterol levels with statins helps decrease your risk of stroke, heart attack, and other vessel-related diseases. “They work better than any other cholesterol treatment,” says Richard N. Fogoros, MD, a cardiologist and former professor of medicine.

Which drug is the most effective for lowering LDL cholesterol?

Statins—or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors—are the gold standard for treating high cholesterol. They work by reducing the amount of cholesterol your body makes. This mainly decreases LDL, but statins also have modest effects on triglycerides and HDL.

How do statins decrease LDL?

Statin drugs lower LDL cholesterol by slowing down the liver’s production of cholesterol. They also increase the liver’s ability to remove LDL cholesterol that is already in the blood. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers advice on the risks related to taking statins: Controlling Cholesterol with Statins.

How do statins reduce LDL levels?

Statins slow down LDL-cholesterol production by blocking an enzyme called HMG-CoA-Reductase – the medical name for statins is HMG-CoA Reductase inhibitors. Enzymes are proteins in the body which speed up normal processes. In this case, LDL production.

Why was Crestor taken off the market?

As you are aware, on March 4th of this year, we petitioned the FDA to ban the recently-marketed cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin (Crestor/AstraZeneca) because of seven post-marketing cases of life-threatening rhabdomyolysis and nine cases of renal failure or renal insufficiency, both of which problems had also …

Are statin drugs worth the risk?

Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke. But some people are reluctant to take these life-saving drugs. They worry about taking medicine every day for the rest of their life or have heard that statins have undesirable side effects.

Which is better Lipitor or Crestor?

The study concluded that Crestor lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.2% more than Lipitor, and Crestor lowered total cholesterol significantly more than all the other statins studied. Crestor also increased HDL cholesterol (the good kind of cholesterol) more than Lipitor did.

What is the best cholesterol medication with the least side effects?

In the analysis of 135 previous studies, which included nearly 250,000 people combined, researchers found that the drugs simvastatin (Zocor) and pravastatin (Pravachol) had the fewest side effects in this class of medications. They also found that lower doses produced fewer side effects in general.

What are the different types of cholesterol lowering drugs?

Types of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Various medications are used to lower blood cholesterol levels. Statins are recommended for most patients. Statins are the only cholesterol-lowering drug class that has been directly associated with a reduction in the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Are there any benefits to taking cholesterol medications?

The potential benefit to your health is worth making these medications part of your normal routine. Various medications can lower blood cholesterol levels. Statins are recommended for most patients and have been directly associated with a reduction in the risk of heart attack or stroke.

How does lowering your cholesterol affect your health?

They work by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. Lowering cholesterol isn’t the only benefit associated with statins. These medications have also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. These drugs may help stabilize the plaques on blood vessel walls and reduce the risk of certain blood clots.

How are ACL inhibitors used to treat LDL cholesterol?

ACL inhibitors work in the liver to block the production of cholesterol. They are used in combination with lifestyle changes and statins to further decrease LDL cholesterol in adults with familial heterozygous hypercholesterolemia and patients with heart disease that need to further lower their LDL.