Thursday, May 28, 2015

Cholesterol and risk - drugs might help you prevent a stroke

More tools for lowering stroke risk - but let's make sure.

Check out the recent story how cholesterol drugs may lower stroke risk for healthy older adults:
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The study found that when people took medications called statins or fibrates, their risk of stroke over almost a decade went down by about one-third.
But, lead researcher Dr. Christophe Tzourio, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Bordeaux and Inserm in France, doesn't think older people should start taking these drugs solely for stroke prevention.
"Our results should not be interpreted as an indication for prescribing statins or fibrates to elderly individuals. We wouldn't recommend changing medications based on the results of only one study," he said.
"The next step is to see whether we can replicate our findings or not," he added.
I'd second the doctor's notion of waiting. If you're a "healthy older adult," you might question the need of adding a drug that might have some unsettling side effects. Yet, if cholesterol numbers indicate a problem, be sure to work with your doctor to decrease your risk.

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