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Statins could prevent blood clots in veins: Study

New research has found that cholesterol-lowering statins may prevent blood clots.

By Amy Wallace
Researchers have found that the cholesterol-lowering statins may help prevent blood clots in veins. Photo by annekarakash/PixaBay
Researchers have found that the cholesterol-lowering statins may help prevent blood clots in veins. Photo by annekarakash/PixaBay

Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A new study has found that cholesterol-lowering statins have the potential to prevent venous thromboembolism, or VTE, blood clots.

Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs used to prevent heart attacks, but researchers have discovered a possible new benefit of the drugs.

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Researchers from the Leicester Diabetes Center and the University of Bristol in England analyzed 36 studies of more than 3.2 million people, and found an "extensive body of evidence of the clinical benefit of statin in the occurrence of VTE."

The study showed that statins reduced the threat of VTE by roughly 15 to 25 percent.

"These findings underscore a potential beneficial role of statin therapy on VTE in addition to its established role in cardiovascular disease prevention," Kamlesh Khunti, professor of Primary Care Diabetes & Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, director NIHR Collaboration for Leadership for Applied Health Research and Care, or CLAHRC, East Midlands, co-director of the Leicester Diabetes Center and co-investigator of the study, said in a press release.

The results could lead to new guidelines and increased use of the treatment beyond just heart disease prevention.

"Currently, statins are only approved for lipid lowering in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease," Dr. Setor Kunutsor, lead researcher from the University of Bristol Musculoskeletal Research Unit, said in a press release. "These results provide an extensive body of evidence on the clinical benefit of statin in the occurrence of VTE and may support a true protective effect."

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The study was published in The Lancet Haematology.

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