Could statins be made freely available to help diabetics?

18/01/2008

There are some 2.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK, and new research published in The Lancet is urging that all of them should receive cholesterol-busting drugs -  regardless of whether they have signs of heart disease.

Statins cut the risk of heart attack, stroke and death in diabetic people even in those with low cholesterol levels, analysis of 14 trials shows. And researchers at Oxford University claim that many more do not realise that they have the condition and so statins are "underused" in people with diabetes.

Guidance from the National Institute of Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) in England and Wales issued in 2006 estimated around 3.3 million people are eligible for treatment with statins - including people with diabetes who have a 20% risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next ten years.

The researchers found that standard daily treatment with statins would prevent about one third of heart attacks and strokes in people with diabetes - regardless of age, sex and whether patients were already showing signs of cardiovascular disease. The only exceptions for treatment would be those with exceptionally low risk, such as children or those who cannot take the drugs for other reasons, such as pregnant women.

Study leader Professor Colin Baigent said: "People with diabetes are a clearly defined group of people at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. What we're saying is statins are clearly effective in every type of person with diabetes."

Diabetes UK estimates that currently some 60% of all diabetics receive statins. They recommend statins for people with diabetes over the age of 40 or diabetics younger than 40 with another risk factor - but are also keen to emphasise a healthy lifestyle and diet, not just drugs.