A patient with coronary heart disease asked if he had coronary heart disease and the doctor told him to take statins all the time. He doesn't quite understand, isn't this a hypolipidemic drug? His original blood lipids were not high, but he had a little high blood pressure, so why did he take statins?

Statins are essential for patients with coronary heart disease, not only to protect the cardiovascular system, prevent the occurrence of myocardial infarction, but also to reverse the disease to a certain extent.

1. Why do you get coronary heart diseaseThe full name of coronary heart disease is coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, the role of coronary arteries is to supply blood to the heart, when it occurs atherosclerosis, the lumen of the arteries will be narrowed, blood flow will be reduced, and when the heart does not get enough blood supply and oxygen, there will be symptoms of angina.

The cause of atherosclerosis in the arteries is mainly due to damage to the lining of the arteries, which allows cholesterol in the blood to enter the lining and form atherosclerotic plaques. The common factors that can cause arterial intimal damage are high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar and smoking.

2. Risk factors for coronary heart disease: The growth of atherosclerotic plaque is very slow, and it usually takes more than ten years to cause obvious narrowing of the arteries. When the coronary artery stenosis exceeds 50%, the patient's activity tolerance is significantly reduced. Pain occurs after sustained activity due to insufficient oxygen supply to the myocardium, which is relieved only after the patient is forced to rest, but does not affect daily light activities.

However, the real risk factor for coronary heart disease is not the degree of narrowing of the blood vessels, but the rupture of plaques. It will take more than a decade or even decades for plaque to grow from narrowing blood vessels by 50% to completely blocking them. But what is more dangerous is that many atherosclerotic plaques are not stable, and under factors such as blood flow washing, blood pressure changes, and arterial spasm, the surface of the plaque will burst, which will activate the coagulation mechanism in the human body, form blood clots in blood vessels, and block blood vessels.

3. The key role of statinsThe main pharmacological effect of statins is to inhibit the enzymes that synthesize cholesterol in the human body and reduce cholesterol levels, so they are classified as drugs that regulate blood lipids. In addition to regulating blood lipids, statins have a "key role" in atherosclerotic plaques that cannot be replaced by other drugs.

Statins can also improve the metabolism of the arterial lining; It can have anti-cholesterol oxidation and inflammatory stimulating effects; It can shrink the lipid core of the plaque, increase the density and volume of the plaque, and transform the unstable plaque into a stable plaque. When taken for a long time (more than 4~0 years), it will have a partial reversal effect on atherosclerotic plaques.

In other words, the "key role" of statins in patients with coronary heart disease is to stabilize the plaque and prevent it from breaking down and forming a blood clot. The standard of medication is required to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to below 8.0mmol/L; If you have had a heart attack, or have undergone heart stent or bypass surgery, you need to reduce LDL-C to less than 0.0mmol/L.

People with atherosclerosis, even if their blood lipids are normal, are advised to take statins for long-term treatment. Clinical trials have shown that the longer you take statins, the lower your chance of cardiovascular accidents. For people with high levels of lipid excess, it may be necessary to combine with other types of lipid-lowering drugs to achieve LDL-C control.

To sum up, statins can stabilize atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries, avoid plaque breakdown, and prevent myocardial infarction. When taken for a long time, it can also shrink the plaque and have the effect of reversing the plaque. When taking the drug, it needs to be taken under the guidance of a doctor to reduce adverse reactions and avoid contraindications. If you find any problems during the medication process, please consult your doctor or pharmacist in time.