Drugs for Bone Loss May Also Help the Heart
Study Shows Patients Taking Combination of Didronel and Lipitor Have Fewer Heart Attacks
Participants were randomly assigned to take either 20 milligrams of Lipitor each day or to take Lipitor with 400 milligrams of Didronel.
Both groups had similar reductions in cholesterol: 44% in the combination-therapy group and 45% in the Lipitor group.
And they had similar reductions in the size of plaques in the thoracic aorta, the part of the artery that sits inside the chest, which were reduced by 13% in the Lipitor group compared to 15% in the combination therapy group.
Changes to plaques in the abdominal aorta, the part that travels near the stomach and past the kidneys, however, were substantially different, with a 1% reduction in the Lipitor-only group compared to a 12% reduction in the combination therapy group.
So what might account for changes in plaques to one part of the artery but not the other?
“The reason for this discrepancy may be the difference in plaque constituents between the thoracic and abdominal aorta,” Kawahara says. “In the thoracic aorta, fatty streaks are common, while in the abdominal aorta, fibroblasts and calcified plaques are frequently observed.”
Experts think bisphosphonates may slow the formation of plaques because they block enzymes important to making cholesterol, and they appear to suppress white blood cells that are a key part of plaque formation.
The researchers agreed, however, that studies are needed to repeat the findings and clarify the drugs’ mechanism of action in heart disease before bisphosphonates can be considered to treat heart disease.
Drugs for Bone Loss May Also Help the Heart
Study Shows Patients Taking Combination of Didronel and Lipitor Have Fewer Heart Attacks
Bone Drugs and Atherosclerosis continued...
Participants were randomly assigned to take either 20 milligrams of Lipitor each day or to take Lipitor with 400 milligrams of Didronel.
Both groups had similar reductions in cholesterol: 44% in the combination-therapy group and 45% in the Lipitor group.
And they had similar reductions in the size of plaques in the thoracic aorta, the part of the artery that sits inside the chest, which were reduced by 13% in the Lipitor group compared to 15% in the combination therapy group.
Changes to plaques in the abdominal aorta, the part that travels near the stomach and past the kidneys, however, were substantially different, with a 1% reduction in the Lipitor-only group compared to a 12% reduction in the combination therapy group.
So what might account for changes in plaques to one part of the artery but not the other?
“The reason for this discrepancy may be the difference in plaque constituents between the thoracic and abdominal aorta,” Kawahara says. “In the thoracic aorta, fatty streaks are common, while in the abdominal aorta, fibroblasts and calcified plaques are frequently observed.”
Experts think bisphosphonates may slow the formation of plaques because they block enzymes important to making cholesterol, and they appear to suppress white blood cells that are a key part of plaque formation.
The researchers agreed, however, that studies are needed to repeat the findings and clarify the drugs’ mechanism of action in heart disease before bisphosphonates can be considered to treat heart disease.
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