One of the STATINS group of drugs used to reduce the levels of LDL-CHOLESTEROL in the blood and thus help to prevent coronary heart disease, which is more prevalent in people with raised blood cholesterol levels (see HEART, DISEASES OF).
n. any one of a class of drugs that inhibit the action of an enzyme involved in the liver’s production of cholesterol (see HMG CoA reductase). Statins can lower the levels of *low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) by 25–45% and are used mainly to treat hypercholesterolaemia but also to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in susceptible patients. Muscle inflammation and breakdown (see rhabdomyolysis) is a rare but serious side-effect of statins. The class includes *atorvastatin, fluvastatin, *pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and *simvastatin.... statin
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