Study finds residual inflammation after statin therapy strongly predicts cardiovascular events, death (hsCRP more important than LDL)

Medical Xpress / Brigham and Women's Hospital / The Lancet ^ | March 6, 2023 | Paul Ridker, MD et al

[ConservativeMind]

New evidence released today from a study of 31,245 patients already taking statin therapy indicates that inflammation may be a more powerful predictor of risk of future cardiovascular events—such as heart attack and stroke—than "bad" cholesterol.

Treatments that aggressively lower vascular inflammation need to be incorporated into daily practice if doctors are to maximize patient outcomes, according to the study's corresponding author, Paul Ridker, MD.

Said Ridker: "In our study of patients already taking a statin, hsCRP—a measure of residual inflammatory risk—was a more powerful determinant of having a future heart attack or dying from cardiovascular disease than was LDL-cholesterol—a measure of residual cholesterol risk. The data are a powerful demonstration that to beat heart disease, we need to lower both cholesterol and inflammation, not just cholesterol alone."

All patients were receiving aggressive guideline directed medical care including statins, usually at high doses. But cardiovascular event rates in all three trials approached 10 percent at five years. In all three trials, blood levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, a measure of vascular inflammation) were significantly associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality.

Moreover, the researchers report that hs-CRP was a more potent predictor of future cardiovascular risk than LDL-cholesterol. For example, among aggressively treated patients already on higher intensity statins, the risks of cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality were more than twice as high among those with the highest levels of CRP when compared to those with the highest levels of cholesterol, differences that were highly statistically significant.

Uptake of anti-inflammatory therapy in daily practice has been limited. This has been particularly true for colchicine, an inexpensive anti-inflammatory therapy that reduced cardiovascular event rates in two major randomized trials with a benefit at least as large as that associated with much more expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs.

[ConservativeMind]

Twice as high a death rate for high hsCRP over high LDL.

Antioxidants and Omega-3 fats reduce inflammation.

Reduce your Omega-6 fats, too.

[ConservativeMind]

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[nickcarraway]

LOL. Anyone who has been paying attention the last twenty plus years knows that LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol are not good predictors.

[rexthecat]

Poor dental health (e.g., inflamed or infected gums) is a major factor when it comes to heart health.

[DannyTN]

If I can just make it until the George Jetson automated tooth brush robot is available.

[Revel]

I assume from all the gobbly guke writing that they are saying that Statins are bad. Of course I have seen people go down hill fast after taking them.

[Pontiac]

Uptake of anti-inflammatory therapy in daily practice has been limited. This has been particularly true for colchicine, an inexpensive anti-inflammatory therapy that reduced cardiovascular event rates in two major randomized trials with a benefit at least as large as that associated with much more expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Well this type of therapy will never catch on the in the US.

IF drug companies can't make millions, it isn't effective treatment.

[steve86]

Low-Dose Naltrexone is one substance that should lower
vascular inflammation. Its effect on certain types of inflammation is dramatic, such as in Crohn’s disease. I take it, for other reasons.

[griffin]

bttt!

[redgolum]

My doc has been talking about that

[jagusafr]

And do so, by means of an anti-inflammatory and low acid diet. I’ve been on statins for 34 years. I had apparently significant reflux and was told by my doctor, “we have pills for that“. Having had a heart attack already, I was uninterested in taking more pills, so I did the Acid watcher diet instead. Not only did I cure my reflux and inflammation, but I lost 12 pounds and my total cholesterol was cut nearly in half, with my LDL cut more than half.

Try everything else before taking more pills. The doctor friends I told that I was treating with food as medicine all scoffed and told me it wouldn’t work. When I told them the results, they said I was unusual in actually sticking to the diet. All that told me was that the vast majority of physicians assume that patients will be noncompliant, so it’s just easier to put them on a pill of some sort. Thanks a lot, big Pharma.

[trebb]

Ummm - it’s why statins and other cholesterol reducers don’t improve quality of life or extend life - but they do cause ancillary problems of their own...another Big Pharma scam.

[nikos1121]

This is of course, old news and known since 2005. The next question would be how do you lower your CRP? Exercise is probably the quickest way along with reducing weight and various healthy diets that among other things lower your insulin levels. Exercise should be 6 days per week at least 30 minutes per day with weight lifting on two of those days.

Vitamin C has been reported to lower CRP also.

You would think that taking Aspirin would be a quick way. Some studies say it does, some say it doesn’t.

However the studies I’ve seen that say aspirin doesn’t work used basically one baby aspirin. I think to have an anti inflammatory effect, you’d need to take more.