Medical News Today (MNT)2 Major Statins May Be Equally Effective at Preventing Stroke, Heart Attacks

Statins Show Equal Efficacy in Stroke and Heart Attack Prevention, but Differ in Side Effects

A recent study has found that two major statins, rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, are equally effective at reducing heart attacks, strokes, and all-cause deaths. However, the study also revealed that, although rosuvastatin lowers cholesterol more than atorvastatin, it carries a higher risk of developing diabetes and cataracts.

Key Points

• The study involved 4,400 people in a trial conducted at 12 hospitals throughout South Korea.
• Participants were administered either rosuvastatin or atorvastatin between September 2016 and November 2019.
• The primary outcomes were heart attack, stroke, all-cause death, and the need for coronary revascularization.
• For all of these outcomes, the two statins performed roughly equally.
• The rosuvastatin group was more likely (7.2%) to develop type 2 diabetes than the atorvastatin group (5.3%).

According to a study published in JAMA Cardiology, taking a lower dose of the statin rosuvastatin alongside ezetimibe can be just as helpful as a higher dose of rosuvastatin when it comes to preventing cardiovascular deaths, hospitalization for cardiovascular events, and strokes.

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