Latest news with #statins
Health Line
6 days ago
- Health
- Health Line
Can Statins Reverse Fatty Liver Disease?
There is no evidence to show that statins can reverse fatty liver disease, also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, they may be able to help prevent the progression of the condition. Statins are medications typically used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. A 2025 review found that, as statins have anti-inflammatory properties, they may be able to prevent the progression of MASLD by: reducing fat around the liver decreasing inflammation improving scarring and damage of the liver improving liver function It's important to remember that statins are not the standard treatment option for MASLD and should not be used in place of a prescribed treatment. How can fatty liver be reversed? Fatty liver can be reversed if it is in its early stages before any liver damage has occurred. There are several ways to reduce fatty liver during this period, such as: Lifestyle measures. Making lifestyle adjustments during the initial stages of MASLD is vital to slowing down the progression of the condition and potentially reversing the condition. This includes: following a healthy diet getting regular exercise avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption losing weight if you have overweight or obesity Treating underlying conditions. Several conditions, such as diabetes and high cholesterol, can lead to fat accumulating around the liver. Addressing these underlying conditions may help to manage symptoms and potentially reverse MASLD. Early diagnosis.
Medscape
27-05-2025
- General
- Medscape
Achieving LDL Cholesterol Goals in Statin-Resistant Patients
High levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) can lead to the development and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and increase the risk for major cardiovascular events. Statins have long been used as first-line therapy to lower LDL-C. However, some patients are unable or unwilling to take statin therapy. Dr Ann Marie Navar, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discusses alternative treatment options for these patients, including the oral medication ezetimibe, which is well tolerated and affordable; however, ezetimibe lowers LDL-C by only 15%-20%. Dr Navar also discusses newer therapies, including the injectable monoclonal antibody PCSK9 inhibitors evolocumab and alirocumab. Both are dosed about every 2 weeks and have been shown to reduce LDL-C by more than 50% in clinical trials. Another PCSK9 inhibitor is the first-in-class siRNA inclisiran, a long-acting therapy that is given every 6 months after an initial loading dose that is followed by a second dose at 3 months. Inclisiran is effective at lowering LDL-C, yet clinical data on its cardiovascular outcomes are not yet available. The final option Dr Navar discusses is the oral therapy bempedoic acid, which is available as monotherapy or combined with ezetimibe as a single pill. The combination lowers LDL-C levels by 35%-40%. As monotherapy, says Dr Navar, bempedoic acid is slightly less effective.
Wall Street Journal
26-05-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Should Everyone Be Taking Ozempic? Doctors Say More People Could Benefit.
Should Ozempic be added to the water supply? That is the kind of half-joking question that doctors kick around when a new class of drugs begins to help a big chunk of the population. Cardiologists used to quip about spiking water systems with cholesterol-reducing statins because of their ability to prevent heart attacks.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
New cholesterol-lowering pill offers hope for patients who cannot take statins
A new cholesterol-lowering pill that drives down the risk of heart attacks and stroke could transform the treatment of patients who cannot take statins due to debilitating side effects. Experimental drug obicetrapib cut levels of 'bad' cholesterol by almost a third in just three months in a new trial. And scientists from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found it was even more effective taken in combination with a commonly prescribed drug ezetimibe, reducing by half the amount of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. LDL is most closely linked with heart disease – one of the UK's biggest causes of death. Six out of 10 adults have higher than normal levels while five million take statins to keep down their cholesterol – but this does not work for everyone. The obicetrapib study, published in The Lancet, revealed how researchers tracked 407 patients aged 68 on average. All were considered high-risk with LDL cholesterol levels above 4mmol/L despite taking medication or being intolerant to statins. NHS guidelines recommend keeping LDL below this threshold. Over a follow-up of 84 days, researchers found among those who took the two drugs in combination, patients experienced a 48.6 per cent greater reduction in LDL cholesterol compared with the placebo. They also saw a 27.9 per cent greater reduction than with ezetimibe alone and 16.8 per cent more than with obicetrapib alone. When used on its own, obicetrapib lowered LDL cholesterol by 31.9 per cent compared with placebo. Preventive cardiologist Dr Ashish Sarraju, who led the Cleveland Clinic study, said: 'We need to give patients and their doctors all the options. 'In higher-risk patients, you want to get LDL down as quickly as possible and keep it there as long as possible.' Obicetrapib manufacturer NewAmsterdam Pharma stated that it expects to seek approval from regulators 'over the course of the year'.
The Sun
17-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I've been suffering from snoring noise on my lung since contracting Covid – can this be cured?
OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice. Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader developed an asthmatic type snoring noise post-Covid. 2 2 Q)I'M a very fit 79-year-old male suffering from an asthmatic type/snoring noise on my lung, which I developed post-Covid. It's more pronounced when I lie down in bed. I go abroad every year in the hope the hot weather will dry my lungs, but without success. I am not asthmatic. Can this be cured, or is it a side effect of statins which I have been taking for over two years? A: Many different types of sounds can be heard in the lungs, which suggest a change in the way that air is flowing, and different sounds give clues towards different things. A 'snoring' type sound would suggest mucus or something else is causing an obstruction. Have you had it investigated? If not, then you should, initially with an examination by your GP and a chest X-ray. Statins can cause a lung disorder called interstitial lung disease, but it's a very rare side effect and the typical symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, or loss of appetite with weight loss. If you have any of these symptoms, it's important to let your GP know, as they can overlap with other lung diseases. As you've had it for years and describe yourself as 'very fit' it's reassuring that it's unlikely to be sinister. TIP: Do you have a burning question about weight-loss jabs, like Ozempic? Are you curious about the side effects, whether they're right for you, or how to best eat while you're on them? I'm calling on Sun readers to send me their questions for a Live Q&A on the hot topic. No question is too big, small or silly! Send your questions to me at the address below. Lots of people snore... So when is it really a concern? Dr Verena Senn, sleep expert at Emma Sleep, told The Sun when snoring could indicate sleep apnoea - a sleep condition that causes breathing to repeatedly stop and re-start when you're asleep. The main symptoms are feeling very tired, finding it hard to concentrate and having mood swings, the NHS says. Dr Senn said that sleep apnoea can often go undetected as it can happen without the patient's knowing. "Sleep partners can therefore play a crucial role in recognising this serious disease so it can be treated." You should tell your partner to visit their GP if: Their snoring is really loud They stop breathing while sleeping They wake up gasping or choking through the night They complain of sleepiness in the daytime or headaches in the morning People with obstructive sleep apnoea will often also suffer with high blood pressure. When you stop breathing during your sleep, your nervous system kicks in and releases stress hormones which may raise blood pressure over time.
