“What is the role of statin medications in preventing heart attacks and strokes?”

Statins are a class of medications that primarily work by lowering LDL "bad" cholesterol levels in the blood, reducing inflammation, and improving blood vessel function. .

It depends on age and other factors but yes starting statins can help reduce heart attack and strokes

Statins are quite a unique medicine in that they accomplish many things. 1) they decrease ldl cholesterol (bad cholesterol) thus reduce plaque build up in arteries in the heart and leading to the brain, 2) they help blood flow better through blood vessels, 3) prevent existing cholesterol plaque on vessels from rupturing and causing a stroke or heart attack. All of these combined help decrease the chance of cardiac and cerebrovascular events. Whether you need it or not depends on your age, weight, risk factors.

Statins play an important role in the prevention of strokes and heart attacks by lowering the high levels of LDL cholesterol or vulgarly called bad cholesterol in our system. Statins also are said to stabilize plaques (fatty deposits) that accumulate in our arteries and diminish the caliber of those arteries, decreasing the diameter of those arteries and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. More importantly we have to remember that statins have an anti-inflammatory effect in our system and statins do prolong life. Please for medical advice or diagnosis consult a medical professional for help. Yves M. Jean Joseph, MD