Drugs can reduce the risk of heart attack

A study has found that drugs like Statin can give protection for heart attack long after patients stop taking them. The drugs can reduce the risk of heart attacks by a quarter in men according to the researchers.

The University of Glasgow study found long-term benefits in taking statins.

People who were taking statin for five years have a benifit of 10 years even they stop taking them for a reduced heart risk. Professor Stuart Cobbe, the leading cardiologist on the study, said: "We were very surprised to find patients who had been treated for five years with a statin continued to have significantly fewer heart attacks and other coronary events compared to those treated with a placebo treatment.

Study involved 6,595 men from the region, with an average age of 55, who had high cholesterol between the period 1989-1991 and were on constant health vigil still 1995. It was found that the people who were taking statin have a lower heart risk and disease effect.

This suggests that statin treatment has a long-term beneficial effect in slowing the development of coronary artery disease.