A new study highlights the superior benefits of using combination lipid-lowering therapy with statins and ezetimibe over statin monotherapy to reduce cardiovascular risks and mortality.
In a significant breakthrough for cardiovascular health, Dr. Carl J. “Chip” Lavie, Jr., a medical director for cardiac rehabilitation and preventive cardiology at Ochsner Health, has co-authored an influential new study advocating for the early adoption of combination lipid-lowering therapy.
Published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, this research explores the comparative efficacy of using statins together with ezetimibe versus statin monotherapy and yields promising findings for high-risk patients.
Led by Maciej Banach, head for the Bureau for the International Collaboration and Development at the Medical University of Lodz in Poland and head of the International Lipid Expert Panel (ILEP), the comprehensive meta-analysis aggregated data from 14 studies involving over 108,000 high-risk individuals.
This review demonstrated that combining statins with ezetimibe not only achieved superior LDL cholesterol reduction – averaging a mean difference of -12.96 mg/dL – but also significantly decreased all-cause mortality by 19%, major adverse cardiovascular events by 18% and stroke incidence by 17%.
“The findings underscore the importance of a proactive, combination-based strategy in lipid-lowering therapy,” Lavie said in a news release. “By optimizing LDL-C reductions early, we can dramatically improve patient outcomes and reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease.”
The analysis accentuated that the safety profile of combination therapy is comparable to that of statin monotherapy, with similar risks of adverse effects and therapy discontinuation.
This revelation positions combination therapy as a practical, safe option for clinicians aiming to achieve target LDL-C levels and significantly curtail cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.
The study marks a pivotal shift in preventative cardiology, recommending integration of combination therapy early in treatment plans, especially for individuals deemed high or very high risk. By preemptively adopting this strategy, clinicians can not only strive for LDL-C target benchmarks more efficiently but also substantially elevate patient outcomes.
Lavie, along with his colleagues, envisions this early intervention across the board – even prior to any manifest cardiovascular events – to be a strategic pivot point in managing cardiovascular health. As cardiovascular diseases continue to be a leading cause of death globally, the application of such proactive, combinatory treatments holds the promise of saving countless lives.
Source: Ochsner Health System