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First things first: what are Statins? Simply put – these are drugs that lower the level of bad cholesterol in the blood (so-called LDL cholesterol). This cholesterol is responsible for the development of atherosclerosis. Therefore, statins help to reduce the risk of diseases caused by atherosclerosis, such as ischemic heart disease.
How they work ?
Statins block the enzyme that is responsible for the production of cholesterol in the liver. They also have inhibitory properties cholesterol production and removes bad cholesterol from the blood. Statues they reduce the level of bad cholesterol by an average of 18-55% and triglycerides by 7-30%. At the same time, they increase the concentration of HDL (good cholesterol) – about 5-15%
For whom?
These drugs are recommended for all who have been diagnosed with atherosclerotic diseases, e.g. ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction. Even for people without disease cardiovascular when the cholesterol level is significantly elevated despite following a proper diet and for people with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Advantages of statins
Taking statins has a positive effect on improvement lipid profile. This means that it lowers the level of total cholesterol and the LDL fraction while increasing the level of HDL. In addition, it moderately reduces the concentration of triglycerides. Thanks to this, it affects the state of health:
- inhibits the process of atherosclerotic plaque development, causes its complete disappearance
- in people at risk of gallstones, long-term use of statins reduces the likelihood occurrence of stones and ultimately prevents the need to perform gallbladder removal surgery
- in people with diabetes, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications by about 25%
- in people without diabetes, the risk of cardiovascular complications is reduced by about 15-20% on average
Side effects
Statins are drugs that are usually very well tolerated by patients, but, like others, they can cause side effect. These can be:
- an itchy allergic rash
- gastrointestinal disorders: flatulence, abdominal pain
- skeletal muscle damage myopathy. It is manifested by muscle pain and weakening of their strength. A break in treatment or a reduction in the dose of the drug taken results in the disappearance of the existing symptoms
- a rare side effect is headache, visual disturbances, insomnia, joint pain or sensory disturbances
Who are statins not recommended for?
They should not be used by people with chronic liver diseases. Contraindications are pregnancy and breastfeeding, taking antifungal drugs and metabolic antibiotics, i.e. those affecting metabolic processes or the structure of pathogenic microorganisms.
Note: When drinking statins, avoid grapefruit juice – it increases the concentration of satin in the blood, which may result in an increased risk of side effects. It is also not advisable to eat raw grapefruit.