New Study Provides Revolutionary Insight into Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

A new study conducted with the help of over 18,000 participants in 26 countries reveals a new blood test can determine the likelihood of stroke and heart disease in patients, and can controlled and drastically minimized with a commonly used statin drug.

This study has been well-received in the medical community for its far-reaching implications. Paul Ridker of Brigham and Women's Hospital said, "the potential public health benefits are huge." Similarly, Steven E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic said, "It's a breakthrough study...It's a blockbuster. It's absolutely paradigm-shifting." Physicians across the nation are describing the study in a similar light, excited by the prospect of offering patients a new method to combat the critical-nature of heart disease and stroke.

The test, costing roughly $20, screened middle-aged patients for inflammation with a blood screening. Patients with troubling test results were prescribed Crestor--a cholesterol-lowering statin. Historically, half the victims of heart-attack or stroke have normal or safe levels of cholesterol. The new study answers the pressing question of seemingly heart-healthy patients suffering from heart disease.

Crestor, or its generic brand alternatives, is a cholesterol-lowering pharmaceutical used in patients with high cholesterol. This new study will most certainly prompt physicians worldwide to begin preventative drug therapies with patients who have borderline results on their inflammation tests.

As reported by the Washington Post , the study results concluded that compared to those administered the placebo, Crestor-taking patients "were 54 percent less likely to have a heart attack, 48 percent less likely to have a stroke,

Numbers of these magnitude have sparked enthusiasm and support of the treatment, but also criticism. Mark Hlatky of Stanford University warns, "I think we need to be careful before we radically change what we do. Nothing is risk-free." Side effects of the continued drug treatment have yet to be released or known. Some experts worry that a huge rush to prescribe cholesterol-reducing pharmaceuticals to otherwise healthy patients may present other risk factors, or, at worst, unwanted physiological results.

Still, the study is a hopeful sign that relief may be coming to Americans. Heart disease is the number one killer its citizens, taking roughly 900,000 lives each year. With all preventative methods, the study will be critically reviewed by various associations, most especially The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

In addition to the positive findings, the study also reported the first recognizable benefit in treatment for women and minorities. A new article in the New England Journal of Medicine outlining the study and the results is forthcoming.