Large new study suggests statins may help more people type 2 diabetes More than previously thought.
According to a press release, researchers found that cholesterol-lowering drugs reduced the risk of death and serious cardiovascular events not only in high-risk patients, but also in patients considered low-risk based on standard 10-year heart disease projections.
Statins are commonly prescribed to patients with diabetes, but there is uncertainty as to whether they are prescribed to patients with diabetes who have a low predicted risk of diabetes. cardiovascular disease You will benefit from consuming them.
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To find out, researchers at the University of Hong Kong conducted an analysis. health record From a large UK medical database known as IQVIA Medical Research Data.
The study involved adults aged 25 to 84 with type 2 diabetes who did not have serious heart or liver problems at the start of the study. Participants were followed for 10 years, allowing researchers to track long-term outcomes.
Researchers compared the following people: started taking statins With similar people who did not take them.
They also grouped patients into low-risk to high-risk groups based on their estimated 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This allowed us to assess whether statins are effective only in high-risk patients or across the board.
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The results, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that statins were associated with meaningful benefits for all groups.
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with adults type 2 diabetes People who took the drug were less likely to die from any cause and less likely to experience serious cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or other serious heart-related complications.
These benefits were seen even among patients considered low risk based on standard predictive tools, the researchers noted.
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In terms of safety, the study claims to have found little cause for concern. A very small increase in muscle-related side effects known as myopathy was observed in one risk group. However, there was no increased risk of liver damage, which is often a concern. Use of statins.
Researchers say in the study that there may be important differences between people that the data could not fully capture.
Some health-related factors that are not measured, such as lifestyle habits diet, exerciseor how closely people followed medical advice could have influenced the results, the researchers added.
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Additionally, some hospital events may not be fully captured in the data. This means that some hospitalizations or complications may be missed or not counted, which may slightly affect the accuracy of the findings.
Researchers recommend that clinicians consider: potential benefits Most adults with type 2 diabetes require statin therapy, even if short-term cardiovascular risk appears to be low.
Patients with type 2 diabetes should consult their physician before starting or changing statin therapy, as individual health factors, potential side effects, and personal cardiovascular risks must be considered.
