Do I Need To Take Statins To Lower Cholesterol?
"I have high cholesterol, do I need to take statins?" is a question that patients often ask their doctors. The answer is complex, so let’s explore it in detail.
Dr. Alex
What are statins?
Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol, prevent plaque formation, and can reduce plaque diameter by 15 %. Today there are 4 generations of statins, and all have roughly the same effectiveness and side effects.
Cholesterol: friend and foe
Cholesterol is a friend because it is part of every cell, participating in the formation of cell membranes. However, it is also a foe, because it tends to deposit in the walls of blood vessels, narrowing their lumen. Previously, it was believed that if cholesterol levels were elevated, then the risk of developing atherosclerosis increased. However, doctors now know which carrier molecules (lipoproteins) contain the main part of cholesterol. According to this principle, cholestero...
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