Breakthrough at the Brigham

Ever since cardiologists began focusing on high cholesterol levels as a risk factor for heart disease, they have had to deal with the troubling fact that half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in patients without high cholesterol levels or chest pains. One explanation for this is that even moderate levels of the artery-clogging substance can be dangerous if there is also a high level of inflammation in the blood vessels. A new study led by a Brigham and Women's Hospital researcher shows that, in patients with normal cholesterol but high levels of inflammation, the use of a new-generation statin drug can reduce substantially the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths. The National Institutes of Health should organize an additional trial to determine if older and less-costly generic statins have the same effect. - Boston.com