Do statins or blood thinners help P.A.S.?
Statins are used for preventing and treating atherosclerosis that causes chest pain, heart attacks, strokes, and intermittent claudication in individuals who have or are at risk for atherosclerosis. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include: • abnormally elevated cholesterol levels, • a family history of heart attacks (particularly at a young age), • increasing age, and • diabetes. Most individuals are placed on statins because of high levels of cholesterol. Though reduction of cholesterol is important, heart disease is complex and, as discussed previously, other factors such as inflammation may play a role. Thirty-five percent of individuals who develop heart attacks do not have high blood cholesterol levels, yet most of them have atherosclerosis. This means that high levels of cholesterol are not always necessary for atherosclerotic plaques to form. Bec
