Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce heart attacks among people who have had a kidney transplant, according to a new study.
Many people with kidney failure also have heart problems. While a transplant may cure the kidney problem, the immune suppressing drugs that have to be taken to protect the new organs may make the heart problem worse. Researchers from Oslo, Norway, and elsewhere now report upon a study of the statin fluvastatin in a group of 2,100 people after kidney transplant.

The participants were assigned to either fluvastatin or placebo. In the statin group, there were 70 cardiac deaths or non-fatal heart attacks, compared to 104 in the placebo group. This supports the growing practice of treating people who have had a kidney transplant with statins to protect the heart.