Published: Oct 3, 2013
By Todd Neale
In addition to lowering LDL cholesterol, a high dose of atorvastatin may alleviate periodontal disease, possibly representing a new pleiotropic effect of statins, a small randomized study showed.
After 12 weeks of treatment, 80-mg of atorvastatin resulted in a greater reduction in periodontal inflammation compared with 10-mg of the same drug (P=0.04), according to Ahmed Tawakol, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues.
There was a significant correlation between that reduction and a beneficial change in inflammation in the carotid artery (P<0.001), they reported online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Atherosclerosis/42034
From the American Heart Association:
- Periodontal Disease and Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: Does the Evidence Support an Independent Association?
- Circulation: Clinical Investigation and Reports: Relation of Inflammation and Benefit of Statins After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions
Primary source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Additional source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Source reference:Blaha M, Martin S “How do statins work? Changing paradigms with implications for statin allocation” J Am Coll Cardiol 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.08.1626.