Statins in the Reduction of Cardiovascular Events

Abstract

AbstractThe major advances in coronary heart disease (CHD) diagnosis and treatment in the past half‐century include the detection of thrombosis or a mechanism of acute coronary syndromes that leads to heart attacks and discovery of major risk factors that leads to progression of atherosclerosis. Next was the role of aspirin in prevention. The most eradicable risk factor is smoking cessation in the prevention of CHD. Most modifiable risk factor is lipoprotein (LDL)‐cholesterol reduction that has been shown to cause regression of atherosclerosis and reduction in cardiac events. Statins play a major role in reducing LDL‐cholesterol, hence reducing cardiac events in every study. Statins not only have their effects through LDL‐cholesterol reduction, but have LDL‐cholesterol‐independent effects. The significance of the pleitropic effects is not well defined. Statins are, nonetheless, the only class of drugs that has been shown to consistently reduce CHD risk.