Over 22,000 people in Sweden suffer from heart attack every year and those who are affected have an increased risk of getting another one. After a first heart attack, the risk of getting other heart and vascular diseases and dying prematurely also increases.
By taking medication that lowers blood fats - cholesterol - the risk is significantly reduced. Now, Swedish research shows that the earlier this treatment is started, the better.
Often, multiple types of medication are also needed.
The earlier the treatment is started after the heart attack and the more intensive it is, the better it goes, says Jessica Schubert, specialist doctor in clinical pharmacology and doctoral student at Uppsala University and one of the researchers behind the study.
26 percent lower risk
The researchers have analyzed data from over 50,000 patients in Sweden after their first heart attack. The results show that patients who reach the lowest cholesterol levels already after two months have a 26 percent lower risk of getting a new heart attack the first year, compared to those who do not lower their cholesterol as much. This applies regardless of the patients' gender, age, or other diseases. The study has been published in European Heart Journal.
Treating with cholesterol-lowering medication after a heart attack is already standard today. Most common is to start with statins, well-known medications that have been used for a long time in healthcare. If the levels are not lowered enough, additional medications are added.
Jessica Schubert hopes that the guidelines will now be changed so that all patients receive combination treatment already before being discharged from the hospital. All to quickly get the cholesterol levels down.
Lifestyle factors are just as important as medication - that you reduce your intake of saturated fat and sugar, quit smoking, and exercise. But such changes take time, and therefore, it is important to have medication that contributes to quickly lowering cholesterol.
Challenge with many medications
She adds that it can be a challenge to explain to a person who may have been healthy before the heart attack that they need several different medications.
You can come home with five-six new medications because you also need other preparations that lower blood pressure and thin the blood. All are important to reduce the risk of new heart attacks, says Jessica Schubert.
The study was conducted at Uppsala University with research grants from, among others, the Heart-Lung Foundation.
Petra Hedbom/TT
Facts: Heart Attack
TT
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Sweden today and every year, over 22,000 people in Sweden suffer from heart attack.
After a heart attack, the patient lives with a lifelong increased risk of getting another heart attack or dying from cardiovascular disease. One of the greatest risk factors for heart attack that can be influenced is high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Source: Heart-Lung Foundation
