Some people who have normal blood lipids also need to take statins to lower blood lipids. Why?

A friend told Huazi that her blood lipids were not high, and her low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was only about 1.7mmol/L, but the doctor asked her to take statins. She didn't understand. Aren't statins used to lower blood lipids? If her blood lipids were not high, did she still need to take them?

Huazi asked her friend if she had atherosclerosis. She said that her coronary arteries had atherosclerosis, but it was only mildly narrowed and had not yet reached the level of coronary heart disease. Huazi told her that she should take medicine because the pharmacological effects of statins can not only lower cholesterol, but also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.

1. Dangers of Atherosclerosis

Most people know that when atherosclerosis occurs in the arteries, it causes arterial stenosis, which affects the blood supply to the organs. However, it takes a very long process for atherosclerosis to develop into severe stenosis of the blood vessels. Generally speaking, it takes decades to progress to the point where it affects the blood supply to the organs.

However, atherosclerotic plaques will accelerate their progression under factors such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar, smoking, and obesity, which will increase the instability of the plaques. When the blood vessels spasm and contract, they are prone to rupture, inducing platelet aggregation to form thrombi, causing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.

The rupture of plaques is the greatest danger of atherosclerosis, but the risk of plaque rupture is not directly proportional to the degree of arterial stenosis.

2. Statins can not only lower blood lipids

The formation of atherosclerotic plaques is related to damage to the arterial intima. LDL-C in the blood will enter the arterial intima from the damaged area and form the lipid core of the plaque. Lowering the level of LDL-C can inhibit or delay the formation of plaques. Statins are currently the most important drugs for lowering LDL-C.

In addition to lowering LDL-C, statins can also improve the metabolism of the arterial lining, fight against the oxidation and inflammatory reactions caused by LDL-C, increase the density of the lipid core of the plaque, reduce its volume, turn unstable plaques into stable plaques, and make plaques less likely to rupture. When statins are used for a long time, they can play a role in reversing plaques.

3. You need to take statins even if your blood lipids are not high

LDL-C is the "raw material" for atherosclerosis, but many people do not have high blood lipids when they develop atherosclerosis, because high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and even aging are all causes of atherosclerosis. But no matter what the cause, the danger of the atherosclerotic plaques formed is the same.

At present, the only way to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis is to use statins, and there is no other drug that can replace it. People with clear atherosclerosis or "soft plaques" in the carotid artery are recommended to use statins for preventive treatment even if their blood lipids are normal.

Many people are worried about whether lowering cholesterol too low will affect health. In relevant clinical trials, no obvious adverse reactions were observed when the subjects' LDL-C was reduced to below 0.7mmol/L, so for now, lower LDL-C levels are safe. Under normal treatment, the lowest LDL-C can be reduced to below 1.4mmol/L.

Statins usually need to be taken continuously for 2 to 4 years before plaque reversal can be observed. According to current research results, the longer statins are taken, the better the protective effect on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system. Therefore, as long as there are no serious adverse reactions, it is not recommended to stop taking the drug.

To sum up, statins can not only lower cholesterol, but also stabilize and reverse plaques. Some people with low blood lipids but atherosclerosis also need to take statins. The use of drugs cannot only look at individual indicators, but also look at the effects and benefits on the overall disease. The use of drugs should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.