Cholesterol and statins
Too
much 'bad' cholesterol in the blood
increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart
attacks and strokes.
The harmful type is called LDL (low-density lipoprotein)
cholesterol.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Gene-hunting research led by BHF Professor Steve Humphries at the Institute of Child
Health at University College London, has led to recommendations
for a national screening service for families affected by
Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH).
The condition causes dangerously high levels of harmful cholesterol but, once affected people are
identified, doctors can help minimise the dangers of FH with
medication and recommending lifestyle changes.
Our research has suggested that if FH is identified early and
treatment given, people with the condition are likely to have a
normal life-expectancy.
You can track the progress of FH research from bench-to-bedside
in our
Life saving science booklet.
Statins
High levels of harmful LDL cholesterol circulating in our blood can
increase the risk of fatty deposits building up in our
arteries. This can lead to a heart
attack or stroke.
Funding vital research into cholesterol-lowering
statins
BHF-funded scientists have played a vital role
in researching the relationship between high cholesterol
and heart disease, particularly through the use of a
class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins.
Millions of people across the UK are now benefiting from these
medicines every day. Find out more about the development of statins
with our heart
health timeline.
Reducing heart attack risk with statins
Investigators in Scotland including now-retired BHF Professor
Stuart Cobbe, designed the West of Scotland Study
of Coronary Prevention (WOSCOP) to determine if statins would
benefit people with high cholesterol before they had any signs of
heart disease.
The trial revealed that people with high cholesterol could
reduce their risk of having a first-time heart attack by nearly a
third.
Protecting more hearts
A
few years later, the BHF and Medical Research Council
collaborated to fund the world’s largest trial of
cholesterol-lowering medicines for people known to be at high risk
of heart disease, but who had ‘normal’ cholesterol levels.
The Heart Protection Study established that statins reduced the
risk of a heart attack in these people by around 25 per cent. The
study was led by BHF Professor Rory
Collins.
The results have been used to develop guidelines for the
prescription of statins for all patients in the UK at high risk of
a heart attack. Statins are now thought to save around 10,000
lives a year in England alone.
What’s next?
We continue to invest in research to help us maximise the
heart-protective benefits of statin therapy, and to help us
understand why some people are particularly susceptible to high
levels of harmful cholesterol.
In 2008 Rory Collins' team - part of the BHF Centre of Research Excellence at Oxford
University - found that people with a variation in a gene involved
in processing statins are more susceptible to a rare side-effect of
the medicines.
Their findings could evolve the way high-dose statins are
prescribed.