Many patients balk at the prospect of taking cholesterol lowering medications. The benefits, according to studies, are profound, but worries persist about the ill effects. Many patients report muscle aches, fatigue, and even memory loss. Lowering cholesterol too much has even been associated with a possible link to cancer. According to a new study, statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) might hasten the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that leads to blindness and affects more than ten million Americans.
The researchers looked at data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study to determine if statins have a beneficial effect on protecting the eyes from macular degeneration and glaucoma, as previously suggested. A study from 2006 found that the drugs may improve blood flow in the retinal arteries and veins, reducing the risk of all eye diseases associated with impaired ocular circulation.
The study was presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2008 Annual Meeting, following an analysis of 1266 subjects who were followed for eleven years. The patients had neovascular AMD and/or central geographic atrophy (CGA). CGA is a condition that causes loss of vision in the center of the eye, and neovascular AMD refers to an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the macula of the eye.
The researchers found that AMD advanced in 481 patients, 323 developed AMD, and 233 experienced CGA. The authors concluded that the use of cholesterol lowering drugs seemed to promote advanced neurovascular age-related macular degeneration.
Caution is urged regarding the study: "We are not saying that statins are a risk factor in the progression of age-related AMD. There are a lot of confounding variables. But what this study shows is that they don't seem to have a beneficial effect.”
Despite the findings, Dr Frederick L Ferris III (National Eye Institute) says, “We don't want patients to be concerned about the effects of statins on their eyes”. Statins still have well documented effects on the lives of patients.
Dr. John T Thompson (University of Maryland, Baltimore) said during an interview, "The significance here is that there have been conflicting reports as to whether statins are protective, and this study says that they are not. There needs to be further studies to sort this out."
Sources: The Use of Statins and the Development of AMD in AREDS
Statins improve blood flow in the retinal arteries and veins ◦
The researchers that untreated glaucoma leads to permanent damage of the optic nerve and resultant visual field loss, which can progress to blindness. It is really good subject to explore to prevent this kind of matter.
ReplyDeletejayn