What are statins?
Statins and diabetes: statins are a specific type of medication that is often prescribed to treat patients who have high levels of LDL cholesterol, also known as harmful or "bad" cholesterol.The LDL is considered bad cholesterol because it deposits fatty waste on the arterial walls of a person located in the brain and heart.As these fat deposits accumulate, arteries can be blocked.A block can cause a stroke or heart attack, which can be fatal.With statins and diabetes, statins work by blocking a substance in the liver used to produce LDL cholesterol.Fortunately with statins and diabetes, statins benefit patients with high cholesterol by reducing LDL cholesterol.
In addition to lowering the risk of a patient from suffering a career or heart attack, statins are also useful as follows:
heart attack, statins and diabetes
Decrease inflammation
Reduces the risk of developing blood clots
Improve and strengthen the lining of blood vessels.
Although statins perform many important functions in the body, the FDA (food and medication administration) has recently warned diabetics about the consumption of statins.While the use of statins and diabetes helps, the FDA warned that the use of statins can increase the risk of a patient to develop type 2 diabetes. This puts people in a dilemma because many patients with heart disease and high LDL cholesterol needstatins to reduce LDL cholesterol.However, if a patient has a history of heart problems or suffers from heart disease, it may be necessary to take statins, regardless of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Who should take medications with statin?
Not all patients with heart problems need to take statins.According to some heart specialists, there are several groups that can benefit from statins.The first group includes those who are at risk of cardiovascular disease but have not developed the disease.The second group of people who could benefit from statins would be those who have a high risk of heart attack and also have cardiovascular disease risk factors.Smokers, those with hypertension, diabetes and / or high cholesterol are included in this second group.
The other group of people who could benefit from learning about statins and diabetes are those who have already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.This group includes those who have atherosclerosis, a term used to describe the hardening of arteries, and patients who have already suffered a stroke or a heart attack caused by a blockade of blood vessels.People who have a history of surgery to repair or replace coronary arteries and those with peripheral arterial disease belong to this last group.
Two other groups, which can benefit from understanding statins and diabetes, are those that have an excessively high LDL cholesterol and diabetes patients.This high LDL cholesterol group includes those whose cholesterol reads at least 190 mg / dl.
The diabetic group that can benefit more from statins and diabetes includes individuals who adapt to the following catergories
People who have an LDL reading between 70 and 189 mg / dl
Those that show risk factors of heart disease.
Who show signs of vascular disease.
Smokers
Those over 40 years
People with hypertension
Some experts recommend starting with low or moderate dosesof statins for adults from 40 to 75 years that show at least one risk factor of heart disease.A low to moderate dose is also recommended for those who have heart disease and have at least a slight possibility of having a cardiac episode in the next decade.
If a cardiac patient is worried about type 2 diabetes, he must talk to a doctor about his options.This is especially true for patients who have a family history of diabetes and also for those who think they can already show signs of the disease.Sometimes, a doctor may recommend a different statin or a different dose for a patient at risk of developing diabetes.
Adverse Effects for Statins Health
In addition to increasing the risk of a person to develop type 2 diabetes, statins and diabetes also have several worrying side effects.Among the most common side effects are the following:
Mental and blurious lapses
Liver damage (in rare cases)
Muscle pain
Digestive problems
Not all people who take statins will experience the side effects mentioned above.Patients who take multiple medications to treat high cholesterol have a greater risk of developing the previous side effects.
Other risk factors that make a patient more sensitive to the side effects of state drugs are the following:
Have a small body
Be a woman
Advanced age (80 years and over)
Excessive use of alcohol.
Liver disease
Have hypothyroidism.
Kidney disease
Have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.