New research published in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that statin therapy should begin in the first hours after a patient suffers a heart attack. The study, which was led by UCLA cardiology professor Greg Fonarow, found that patients who were given a statin with 24 hours of admission were more than 50 percent more likely to survive. Consequently, Fonarow argues that hospitals should change their guidelines to encourage early use of the drugs. That recommendation would put the cholesterol lowering medicines in the same category as aspirin, which is routinely given to patients after they suffer heart attacks.
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