UAMS study: Statin drugs prolong life

The study, headed up by J.L. Mehta, M.D., Ph.D., noted increased life expectancy of elderly patients by an average of two years compared to non-statin users. Mehta, tracked nearly 1.5 million patients who sought treatment in 10 medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The network includes the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System on the UAMS campus. The study`s results, which are especially noteworthy - because the statin users were at higher risk of death than the non-statin users - are published in the Oct. 1, 2006, issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. About 350,000 patients, almost half over age 70, were prescribed statins; 1.2 million patients were not. "When we performed...analysis on survival, we were surprised to find that statin users actually lived an average two years longer despite the patients having more health risk factors and being older than non-statin users," said Mehta. "We did not expect that statin therapy would have such a profound impact on patients` lives." The VAMC/UAMS statin study began in 2004 using data collected and administered by the Veterans Affairs Healthcare Network. The study is unique because of its size and because previous statin studies have excluded people over age 65. It is the first study to show a graded relationship between risk factors and the life-saving effects of statins. The greater the morbidity/mortality risk score, the greater the statins` benefit. The study is continuing on statins` effects on kidney function, which deteriorates as people grow older. Mehta also will research the drug`s potential prevention of diabetes and ability to keep high blood pressure from worsening. By lowering cholesterol levels, statins reduce the formation of new plaques and sometimes can reduce the size of existing plaques. (Copyright 2006 Newsroom Solutions, LLC)