'Statins could slow AAA growth,' US researchers

Researchers working at the Geisinger Medical Center and the Sigfried Janet Weis Center for Research, which are both located in Danville, Pennsylvania, USA, have found that statins, one of the most commonly-prescribed cholesterol-lowering agents, can control the growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), a major cause of death in the USA.

As a result of its findings, the groups have planned a larger human genomic study to better understand this deadly condition at the DNA level. Geisinger researchers believe that patients with AAA should be treated with statins, which includes drugs like Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin) and AstraZeneca's Crestor (rosuvastatin), for their effect on the lipid levels and coronary disease frequently seen in these patients and now also for their potential effect on limiting the size of their aneurysm.

With the country's leading electronic health records program and an exceptionally stable population base in rural central Pennsylvania serving as its test group, the research team led by James Elmore and David Carey, hopes to find a method of slowing the rate of AAA growth before triggering fatal incidents, noting that, with 24,000 fatalities a year, the condition is the 12th leading cause of death in America.