TREATING DIABETICS WHO HAVE SIGNS OF HEART DISEASE WITH A HIGH DOSE OF THE CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING DRUG LIPITOR (80 MG DAILY), RATHER THAN THE NORMAL DOSE OF 10 MG DAILY, CAN LOWER THE RATE OF MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS BY 25 PERCENT, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT. IN THE MAIN ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM THE STUDY, INCREASING THE DOSE OF LIPITOR (ALSO CALLED ATORVASTATIN) WAS SHOWN TO PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH HEART DISEASE. IN A SUBANALYSIS, DR. JAMES SHEPHERD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW AND COLLEAGUES SET OUT TO DETERMINE IF THIS BENEFIT APPLIED TO PATIENTS WITH HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES AS WELL. THE STUDY INVOLVED 1501 PATIENTS WITH BASELINE LDL LEVELS (THE "BAD" CHOLESTEROL) OF LESS THAN 130 MG/DL WHO WERE RANDOMIZED TO LIPITOR AT A DOSE OF 10 OR 80 MG PER DAY AND FOLLOWED FOR A MEDIAN OF 4.9 YEARS. --MORE
