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Statins may prevent blood clots

3 April 2009

Further studies of statins in high-risk individuals with venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the veins) are needed to assess the protective impact of statins.

Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director, British Heart Foundation

A drug used by many people to lower high cholesterol could reduce the risk of blood clots, according to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research, carried out by scientists at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, USA and other research centres around the world, looked at whether rosuvastatin could prevent blood clots in the veins of people who had a low level of 'bad' LDL cholesterol and a high level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood. People who have high levels of CRP are thought to be at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers used data from the JUPITER trial, which looked at whether rosuvastatin could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The trial involved 17,802 men and women who had never had a heart attack or stroke, and had low LDL cholesterol and high CRP levels in their blood. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive 20mg of rosuvastatin daily and half were given a placebo (dummy pill).

Over a period of five years, 34 out of the 8,901 people who took rosuvastatin developed blood clots in their veins, compared with 60 out of the 8,901 who took the placebo.

Although the results suggest that rosuvastatin could reduce the risk of blood clots in the veins of apparently healthy people, three-quarters of the subjects were overweight or obese and nearly half had metabolic syndrome. These conditions increase the risk of developing blood clots in the veins.

Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, told the Bupa health information team: "There were high levels of obesity and metabolic syndrome so this population may not be representative of the general population - and CRP was raised. These factors (obesity and metabolic syndrome) put the population at higher risk of DVT but don't include all patients at high risk."

More long-term research is needed before people are given statins to reduce their risk of blood clots in the leg veins, also known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. Dr Knapton added: "Further studies of statins in high-risk individuals with venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the veins) are needed to assess the protective impact of statins. The mechanism of the protective effect of statins needs to be investigated."

Key facts
  • Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in a vein.
  • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the most common form of VTE. It happens when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually of the lower leg (calf). The blood clot can spread up to the deep veins in the thigh.
  • Pulmonary embolism (PE) happens when a piece of the blood clot breaks off and is carried to the lungs in the blood stream. In the lungs the blood clot gets stuck in one of the blood vessels. It can be fatal if the obstruction is very large and blocks the main blood supply to the lungs.
  • PE can happen hours or even days after the DVT has formed, and may occur when there have been no obvious signs of DVT.

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