Cholesterol-lowering statins may break down artery blockages if they are administered in high enough doses, researchers announced Tuesday.
For the study, Dr. Stephen J. Nicholls of the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating Center for Clinical Research and his colleagues administered high doses of rosuvastatin, atorvastatin or Lipitor to 1,385 patients with evidence of heart disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. They used ultrasound to measure the amount of plaque in their arteries and then followed the participants for two years.
Their results showed that plaque volume fell almost 1 percent in the atorvastatin group and 1.2 percent in the rosuvastatin group, according to the Los Angeles Times. Participants also suffered fewer strokes or heart attacks and underwent fewer angioplasty procedures than the rates typically seen in people on lower doses of the statins.
"Doctors have been reluctant to use high doses of statins, but in this study the drugs were safe, well-tolerated and had a profound impact on lipid levels, the amount of plaque in vessel walls and the number of cardiovascular events," Nicholls said in a statement reported by the Los Angles Times.
