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Dr. Woods, who is board certified in internal medicine, practices at 207-B Stonebridge Boulevard.
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Jupiter study shows statins have more benefits
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| Dr. Woods checks a patient's heartbeat during an exam. |
The findings, which were released in 2008, could change the way physicians view the use of those drugs, which normally are given to people with high cholesterol levels, he explained. The study indicated that besides lowering cholesterol levels, statins also help reduce vascular inflammation, Dr. Woods says.
“The study showed that patients do better when they not only lower their LDL cholesterol, but also lower their levels of the protein, known as C-reactive protein (CRP).”
The study suggests that physicians can improve patient care by monitoring both vascular inflammation and LDL cholesterol levels. “Checking a patient’s CRP level is a simple test,” he added.
The study was called JUPITER, which stood for the Justification for the Use of statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluation Rosuvastatin study. Jupiter was sponsored by AstraZeneca, which makes Crestor, also known as rosuvastatin.
Though the study specifically studied only the action of Crestor, Dr. Woods says, “many physicians believe the demonstrated vascular anti-inflammatory benefit is inherent in the statins as a class and therefore should be seen with Lipitor and Zocor as well.”
In the study, more than 17,000 men and women were randomly given either 20 milligrams of Crestor or a placebo. The study was designed to assess whether statin therapy should be given to individuals who were healthy with normal LDL cholesterol levels but elevated CRP levels (CRP>2.0mg/L). Patients with an LDL level less than 130, normally would not be given statin therapy under current guidelines.
The four-year study was stopped after just two years because of the reported unequivocal evidence that patients treated with rosuvastatin, when compared to those on the placebo, had reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
The initial Jupiter results showed a connection between C-reactive protein and serious heart risks and found that the statin drug significantly cut such cardiovascular events in patients with healthy cholesterol levels, but who had high CRP levels. The findings indicated that a large number of individuals with low LDL-cholesterol levels are at a higher risk for myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular death due to their CRP levels.
Dr. Woods, who specializes in treating adults, took an interest in the Jupiter study because so much of his practice involves the prevention and treatment of cardio-vascular disease. Stroke and heart attack have serious consequences and cause death, he says.
“This study showed that screening for CRP levels earlier in the disease process, followed with statin therapy, can effectively improve a patient’s health.”