Lipids and statins
Researchers conducted a randomised trial of intensive cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) in calcific aortic stenosis - a hardening of one of the heart's valves and the major cause of heart valve replacement, affecting 3 per cent of adults over age 75.
They found that statins do not slow, halt or reverse the progression of calcific aortic stenosis, and should not be used to treat this disease when there is no coexisting vascular disease.
This study influenced the development of international guidelines and informs the management of people with heart disease (specifically the American College of Cardiology /American Heart Association 2006 Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease).
The paper 'A Randomized Trial of Intensive Lipid-Lowering Therapy in Calcific Aortic Stenosis' was published in the 'New England Journal of Medicine' on 9 June 2005 (volume 352:2389-2397).
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Image credit: Gordon Museum