Anybody been advised to use statins to delay stenosis?

[epstns]

At yesterday's visit with my cardio (see earlier post, too), the doc suggested using a low dosage (10 mg/day) of Crestor to parallel a research study currently being performed. The hypothesis is that the statin, in this low dosage, will delay the progression of stenosis.

I tried to find info about the study, but was not successful. (In the process my computer was hit by yet another "browser hijacker" program -- bah!) Has anyone found the research study before? Also, I've already read the other threads about statins and Crestor, but any ideas about the likelihood of problems on the low dose?

 

[KimC]

Statins and Heart/Valve Disease

Statins and Heart/Valve Disease

Steve,

Data suggests that taking statins improve the function of endothelial cells that line the coronary arteries. They do this by altering nitric oxide synthase activity, benefiting the release of nitric oxide, which directly dilates the coronary arteries, improving blood flow. Bottom line, statins lower levels of inflammation in the major arteries, thus slowing the disease process.

My doc put me on Pravachol at first to delay the aortic valve disease, and then after being diagnosed w/ angina to protect me from "events." I debated w/ him after hearing stories of the side-effects, but he insisted that research is showing statins have a strong inflammatory component.

The info above is from Dr. Bob Arnot's Seven Steps to Stop a Heart Attack, (not bedtime reading).

Best,

 

[Phyllis]

Here's a previous post on the subject and there are some others too if you do a "statins for AVR" search:

http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9350

 

[bvdr]

Steve, I was also put on a statin to try to stave off aortic stenosis progression. I was put on it after surgery at Duke. After several months I could hardly lift my arms above shoulder height and the aortic stenosis had progressed as well. I am now off the Lipitor, shoulders are much much improved and in a couple months I'll have an idea what the aortic valve is doing. Someone will have to do a very good sales job to ever get me on a statin again. I know Hennyslee believes her hip problem to have been from her statin medication. I know I had a pre-existing shoulder problem but I believe the Lipitor was the reason it escalated to the point that I was more than willing to have surgery to try to fix it.

 

[KimC]

OK, Betty now you've got me wondering. Do statins effect muscles or ligaments? I've never had any hip problems before in my life but for the past month, (I started Pravachol in November), I've been limping from a sore left hip. It could be nada but now you've got me curious.

Thanks,

 

[bvdr]

Kim, IMHO, I would truly suspect it may be the culprit. Your story just sounds too similar to others I have read about and experienced myself in my shoulders. A couple of weeks ago, my gastroenterologist was reviewing and updating my current medications and I told her why I had stopped the Lipitor. She commented that sometimes the pain creeps up insiduously in patients that the connection is not made between the medication and the joint/muscle pain. What I told her came as no surprise to her whatsoever.