statin therapy

Statin therapy is the most established way to lower harmful cholesterol with a pill. Statins work like turning down a factory's production line: they block a key liver enzyme used to make cholesterol, so the liver pulls more LDL out of the bloodstream to compensate, and circulating LDL falls.

Beyond lowering LDL, statins appear to stabilise existing artery plaque and calm the inflammation that makes plaque prone to rupture. Across many large trials they reliably reduce heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death in people at risk — both those who have already had an event (secondary prevention) and selected higher-risk people who have not (primary prevention). The benefit scales with how much LDL is lowered and how high the starting risk was.

Statins are generally well tolerated. Muscle aches are the most common complaint, true muscle injury and meaningful liver effects are uncommon, and a small rise in blood sugar can occur. For most people who need them the cardiovascular benefit clearly outweighs these risks, but the decision is individual and made with a clinician — this is reference information, not a prescription.