Lipitor and Zocor May reduce the severity of Heart Attack symptoms

March 22nd, 2006

A new study involving 1,500 persons found that patients who had taken beta blocker or statin drugs were more likely to experience only mild chest pain, rather than a full-blown heart attack. Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Pravachol reduce artery-clogging cholesterol, while beta blockers like Coreg help lower high blood pressure. The Kaiser Permanente study of men aged 42 to 74 and women aged 55 to 74 indicated that heart drugs can lessen severity of the first symptoms of the disease.

Previous studies have shown that statins cut heart disease risk overall. This recent clinical trial demonstrated that these drugs reduce chances of a heart attack without having previous warning symptoms. Twice as many of the patients experiencing only chest pain had been taking a beta blocker or a statin during the previous five months, compared to those who experienced a sudden heart attack and did not take these drugs.

Only statins and beta blockers lowered the risk of heart attack when looking at all medications used to prevent heart disease. This conclusion was reached by Dr. Alan Go, the study’s lead author and researcher at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California.

Mark Hlatky, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University and a study author explained that if a patient experiences angina while exercising, it’s an early warning that allows time to start on treatments to reduce risk. He emphasized that a heart attack may cause permanent damage even if you survive it.

Additional study is needed to confirm these findings. Patients’ health records did not indicate whether patients were taking aspirin as a heart-protective measure. This study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, was conducted jointly by Kaiser and Stanford researchers and also scientists at the University of California-San Francisco.

Source:  MSNBC.com; 2/21/06

Entry Filed under: CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONS,Heart Conditions,PRESCRIPTION DRUGS