Three Cardiovascular Updates
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Posted by Anthony Lee Apr 4, 2009 |
This week's blog entry is not about one topic, but rather three topics that are summarized as follows:
- Statins and Blood Clots: A recent study found that the cholesterol-lowering statin drug Crestor (generic name rosuvastatin) can also lower the incidence of blood clots in the veins. This suggests that taking Crestor lower the risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot within the large veins of the leg that can cause pulmonary embolism (PE) when it break off and gets stuck in the lung circulation.
- Combination Pill for Heart Disease: Patients with heart disease have to take medications that include aspirin and drugs for high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia). Recently, a combination pill with aspirin, a statin, and three blood pressure drugs was studied with promising results. This has the potential to make it easier for patients to take these drugs.
- Aspirin and Plavix Instead of Warfarin: Patients with the heart rhythm abnormality atrial fibrillation are prone to forming blood clots in their heart because blood moves more slowly. These patients take the blood-thinning drug warfarin to prevent these clots and, therefore, strokes, but the drug requires careful laboratory monitoring. A new study suggests that taking aspirin and Plavix (generic name clopidogrel) may be another effective protective treatment against blood clots from atrial fibrillation.
Although these reports promise a benefit, there are still issues to consider. Primarily, the studies are early trials and need to be followed with repeat studies. Also, the combination pill may be an issue if the doses of the individual drugs in the combo pill need dose adjustments. As with any new medical development, the above three issues will continue to be explored in the years to come.