Preliminary findings of a study done by researchers at the Cardiovascular Center at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan suggest that commonly-used cholesterol-lowering drugs may reduce the risk of an irregular heartbeat for older patients with high blood pressure.
According to HealthDay, lead author Dr. Chen-Ying Hung said, "Our study found that statin therapy in elderly patients with hypertension reduces the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation." The study was presented on May 9th at the Heart Rhythm Society's annual meeting in Boston.
Although the findings don't provide enough evidence to warrant this use of statins such as Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin) until further research is done, HealthDay reports that Hung said "there are some reasons to believe that statins could affect atrial fibrillation through various methods, including improved lipid (blood fat) metabolism; prevention of atherosclerosis, a build-up of plaque in the arteries, and endothelial dysfunction; and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions."
