The American Diabetes Association has come out with new guidelines that strongly urge that all people with diabetes take one of the cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. The drugs can help prevent cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association already recommend something similar, that anyone at risk for heart disease, including people with diabetes, take statin drugs. People with diabetes are two to four times as likely as people without diabetes to have a heart attack or stroke. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes.
The new ADA guidelines recommend that people with diabetes who are under 40 years of age, or who are between age 40 and 75 with no additional cardiovascular disease risk factors, take a moderate-intensity statin, while those of all ages who already have cardiovascular disease take a high-intensity statin. People with diabetes between the ages of 40 and 75 who have additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease should take a high-intensity statin.
Some people with diabetes may not need to take statins. These include people who are younger and healthier overall.
In past guidelines, the ADA recommended that statins be considered for diabetics based on blood cholesterol levels, specifically low-density lipoprotein levels.
"The big change here is to recommend starting either moderate or high-intensity statins based on the patient's risk profile rather than on LDL level. Since all patients with diabetes are at increased risk, it is just a matter of deciding whom to start on moderate versus high-intensity statin doses," said Richard W. Grant, MD, chair of the ADA's Professional Practice Committee.
Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol drugs. They have been found to prevent cardiovascular disease in people who are at high risk. However, they can cause liver problems and muscle pain. Some people who take statins say they experienced memory loss. Several statin drugs are available as generics. Lipitor and Zocor are brand names for two statin drugs, atorvastatin and simvastatin.