LEARN MORE
IMAGE SOURCE:© iStockphoto/ streaming blood/ author: Eraxion
|
Doctors meeting this week at the American Heart Association’s annual gathering in New Orleans are talking about a new, simple, low-cost blood test that might be added to regular medical exams to assess heart disease.
Even when there are no outward symptoms of heart problems, the test detects a risk of heart disease and stroke risk and might indicate a patient should begin statin drugs.
That appears to be counterintuitive since the reason most drugs are prescribed is to counteract symptoms or disease.
“This kind of study probably will change cardiac practice,” said Dr. Deepak Srivastava, director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease at UC San Francisco to the SF Chronicle.
The Test
The test does not measure artery plaque build-up but measures the amount of inflammation which can be associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
Known as CRP or C-reactive protein levels, the test costs about $20. It can indicate whether a patient has an intermediate risk for coronary artery events.
Statins work to reduce both inflammation and low-density or LDL cholesterol, also associated with coronary heart disease.
In the study presented at the cardiology conference, patients taking Crestor for more than year, were 54 percent less likely to have a heart attack, 48 percent less likely to have a stroke, and 46 percent less likely to require angioplasty or bypass surgery.
Dr. John Kane, a professor of medicine at UCSF says, “It opens up a whole new group of people who probably ought to be treated. Before, if you came in for a routine physical in your 40s, no one would have measured your CRPs. Now this study says there’s a reason to measure it. It will lead to a change in guidelines for patients.”
Buyer Beware
Before you rush out and demand Crestor, be aware that the large study was financed by the pharmaceutical company that makes Crestor, AstraZeneca.
Its stock rose Monday on news of the study which could open up the drug’s use to an entire new group of patients.
While those involved in the study say the company yielded no influence, appearances are everything. The study also omitted people younger than their men in their 50s and women under 60.
Not completely free of controversy, the statin, Baycol was removed from the market in 2001 because of dangerous side effects.
Crestor, also known as rosuvastatin, was approved in August 2003 and works by partially blocking the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. Side effects include constipation, nausea, stomach pain and muscle aches. Statins have been associated with kidney damage.
Public Citizen in March 2004, called on the FDA to ban Crestor, citing the potential for kidney failure and muscle damage.
In the U.S. one person a minute dies from a coronary event. Losing weight, not smoking and exercising are still the best ways to reduce your risk of heart problems and stroke.
The Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, reports that a diet with high glycemic foods and trans fats stimulate inflammation. In contrast, a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains quiets inflammation.
The Food and Drug Administration must approve a change in the drug’s label before it can be more widely prescribed. #