Studies find a potential connection
Studies have identified beneficial effects ofstatins, including a relationship between statins andinflammation.
Inflammation is a part of the body’s normal response to an injury or infection.
These are outward signs of inflammation, signs of the body mobilizing in the face of damage.
Tim Boyle / Staff / Getty Images
It’s a natural part of the healing process.
But it isn’t always helpful.
Inflammation triggers when the immune system sends in specialized white blood cells to a damaged area.
These cells help combat any infection and clean up the dead cells left behind.
Ultimately, this process can block the flow of blood and oxygen.
If the affected artery supplies the heart or brain, again, the result could be aheart attackorstroke.
CRP levels above 10 mg/L are a sign that inflammation is present somewhere in the body.
They can predict a heart attack in people who’ve never had one before.
On the other hand, preventing inflammation helps people at risk for heart disease.
How Statins Fit in
Statins are an important class of medications that lower bad cholesterol levels.
They also modestly raise blood levels of good cholesterol (HDL).
In addition to lowering bad cholesterol levels,statinsalso help bring down blood levels of CRP.
Lowering these protein levels effectively prevents inflammation from occurring.
It also appears that long-term use of statins results in less inflammation in the heart and fewer complications.
These benefits included fewer neurologic impairments, such as speech and movement problems.
There was also a lower incidence of death in the year after the stroke.
