Statins Reduce Gum Inflammation in Heart Disease Patients

(Ivanhoe Newswire) –Medications prescribed for lowering cholesterol, statins, may also reduce inflammation associated with gum disease, according to a new study. The study suggests that steps taken to reduce gum disease may also reduce inflammation in the arteries and vice versa.
In a double-blind, randomized study, patients with heart disease or a high heart disease risk were assigned to take either an 80 mg statin or a 10 mg statin daily for 12 weeks. PET/CT scans were collected after four and 12 weeks. Fifty-nine patients showed a significant reduction in gum inflammation after four weeks of treatment with the 80 mg statin.
“Statins have beneficial effects beyond their lipid lowering properties. Physicians should take this into consideration when discussing antihyperlipidemic treatment options with their patients,” Ahmed Tawkol, MD, co-director of the Cardiac Imaging Trials Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study, was quoted as saying.
For more information, go to: http://www.cardiosource.org/News-Media/Media-Center/News-Releases/2013/10/StatinsPeriodontalInflammationJACC.aspx?w_nav=Search&WT.oss=%22High-Dose%22%20Statins%20Reduce%20Gum%20Inflammation%20in%20Heart%20Disease%20Patients&WT.oss_r=6&
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, October 2013