Praktické lekárnictvo 1/2013

What can statins do in the management of cardiovascular deseases?

Cardiovascular diseases are a dominant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The most significant process that causes these diseases is atherosclerosis. Certain well-known risk factors participate in the development of atherosclerosis, among others dyslipidaemia, a disorder of lipid metabolism resulting in a change in levels or function of serum lipoproteins. The important role in the treatment of dyslipidaemias has hypolipidemic therapy and its principal target is elevated serum cholesterol. Statins are a class of drugs that lower the cholesterol levels, they are effective and fairly safe drugs. Many studies have proven the decrease of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, even in the subgroups of high-risk patients (older age, patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes, with heart failure, valvular heart disease, with peripheral artery and cerebrovascular disease).

Keywords: statins, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular risk.