Statins

High levels of harmful 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 drug called statins.

Millions of people across the UK are now benefiting from these medicines every day.

Reducing heart attack risk with statins

Investigators in Scotland including 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 – led by BHF Professor Rory Collins – established that statins reduced the risk of a heart attack in these people by around 25%.

The results of these studies have been used to develop guidelines for the prescription of statins for all patients in the UK at high risk of a heart attack.

What’s next?

The BHF continues 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.

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