People with normal cholesterol but increased levels of a marker of inflammation may reduce their risk of a heart attack by taking a statin drug, according to research presented at an American Heart Association meeting in November.

The findings, which triggered excitement among some prominent heart doctors, were from a study involving nearly 18,000 men and women. The men were older than 50 and women were older than 60, and all were free of cardiovascular disease. All the participants had elevated levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein – a sign of inflammation linked to higher risk of coronary disease – and levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol below 130. Doctors don’t normally consider using cholesterol-lowering statin drugs for these patients.

Some patients had other risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking. The participants either took 20 milligrams of a statin drug called rosuvastatin (Crestor) or a placebo each day. Those taking the drug had a 54-percent lower risk of heart attack, 48-percent less risk of stroke, and a 20-percent lower risk of death by any cause. The researchers stopped the study more than two years early when the benefits of the drug become clear.

"This takes prevention to a whole new level," said W. Douglas Weaver, MD, president of the American College of Cardiology, in a Washington Post article, where he predicted that doctors would start using statin drugs for patients with normal cholesterol.

Learn more about cholesterol screening.

Learn more about C-reactive protein screening. 

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