In response to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American College of Cardiology conference about statins protecting patients from deep vein thrombosis (1) British Heart Foundation (BHF) Medical Director, Professor Peter Weissberg, said:

"Deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in a leg vein) is a relatively common occurrence which can lead to a potentially fatal pulmonary embolus (a blood clot in the lungs), particularly in patients following prolonged immobility or with cancer.

"This is the first study to show that statins, which protect against heart attacks (caused by a blood clot in a coronary artery), appear also to protect against blood clots in the veins of the leg and lungs.

"Further clinical trials are now needed to see if patients at high risk of a DVT are protected by statins. If they are, the findings could lead to such patients being prescribed statins to protect them in the future."

(1) Prepared in response to: A randomized trial of Rosuvastatin in the prevention of Venous Thromboembolism, Glynn et al, NEJM, March 29th 2009 - The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease.

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