| You'd practically think doctors had discovered | | | | attack, fatal stroke, or non-fatal stroke, than |
| vitamin L. | | | | diabetics given a lower dose Lipitor. |
| Almost every doctor who treats diabetics in the | | | | So the scientists weren't studying 1,501 diabetics, |
| USA will recommend treatment with the | | | | some of whom weren't already on Lipitor. |
| cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin, also known | | | | Everybody in the study was on at least 10 mg of |
| as Lipitor, the moment an LDL test comes back | | | | Lipitor a day. Some just got more, 80 mg a day. |
| with a reading higher than 120 mg/dl. | | | | And that 25 per cent figure is misleading. The |
| This is wrong on many levels. | | | | scientists really mean that 13 per cent is 25 per |
| Even if there were no side effects of Lipitor, if it | | | | cent lower than 17 per cent. |
| never caused potentially fatal rhabdomyolysis, an | | | | The study found that 13 per cent of diabetics on |
| extreme form of muscle pain and soreness from | | | | high-dose Lipitor had a heart attack or stroke |
| taking Lipitor, if no one ever noticed a relationship | | | | over the 5 years of the trial, while 17 per cent of |
| between constant throat clearing and Lipitor, if | | | | diabetic on low-dose Lipitor had heart attack or |
| there were no connection between Lipitor and | | | | stroke during the same period. Lipitor is hardly a |
| forgetfulness, automatically prescribing this statin | | | | magic bullet. |
| drug to just about everyone who has diabetes | | | | And doesn't that 17 per cent figure sound awfully |
| would be bad medicine. | | | | high? Well, there's a reason for that, too. |
| First of all, the test your doctor gives you usually | | | | The TNT study found that additional Lipitor had |
| doesn't measure LDL. It's a "guestimate" of "bad" | | | | additional benefit only for South African diabetics |
| cholesterol from your total cholesterol, HDL, and | | | | who had already developed coronary heart |
| trigylceride levels--and LDL and HDL are not the | | | | disease before the age of 56. |
| only kinds of cholesterol. A direct measurement | | | | Now, if you happen to be a South African male |
| of low-density lipoprotein is probably more | | | | diabetic under the age of 56 who has already had |
| expensive than every other test your doctor will | | | | a heart attack or stroke and you are already |
| order for your diabetic checkup. | | | | taking Lipitor, maybe you should take more. But |
| And if you've been careful to get your sugars | | | | what if you are a diabetic, but you haven't had a |
| under control, lowering your triglycerides, guess | | | | heart attack or a stroke, and you're not taking a |
| what? Your LDL number will be higher! This is the | | | | statin drug? |
| case whether or not the actual concentration of | | | | A much larger study in Israel has an answer. |
| this form of cholesterol has gone up. | | | | In five years of follow-up of 2,482 diabetics aged |
| Secondly, there's more than one kind of LDL. | | | | 45 to 74, Israeli researchers found that 5 per |
| Apo-A is not associated with cardiovascular risk. | | | | cent of the diabetics died. Cholesterol, however, |
| Apo-B is associated with cardiovascular risk. If | | | | was not the predictor of death. Blood pressure |
| your LDL is really apo-A, Lipitor is not going to | | | | was. Israeli doctors found that getting blood |
| protect you against having a heart attack. | | | | pressure under control while diabetes could still be |
| But suppose your doctor argues that, yes, you're | | | | treated with diet was ideal. About 5 per cent of |
| right, the tests the doctor ordered don't really | | | | diabetics who had high blood pressure died over |
| measure any kind of cardiovascular risk factor, | | | | the five-year period. About 4 per cent of |
| but "we" know that Lipitor and other statins are | | | | diabetics who managed to control their blood |
| anti-inflammatory and its stopping inflammation | | | | pressure suffered the same fate. |
| that really does you good. After all there was the | | | | So what's the bottom line? |
| famous TNT study. | | | | Ask your doctor about Lipitor if you are |
| What was the TNT study? Does your doctor | | | | concerned about preventing a second, fatal heart |
| think it was dynamite? | | | | attack or stroke. |
| The Treating to New Targets study was a South | | | | Get your blood pressure under control if you are |
| African clinical trial that found that diabetics given | | | | concerned about preventing a first, fatal heart |
| a high dose of Lipitor were 25 per cent less likely | | | | attack or stroke. |
| to have a fatal heart attack, non-fatal heart | | | | |