According to a study children suffering with Lupus have possibilities for coronary artery disease, when they become adults. The most comprehensive study on lupus and its effects on children determined that statins even when used regularly does not help children and adolescents.

Common inflammation and organ damage are seen in patients suffering with Lupus which is an auto immune disease. Atherosclerosis is the beginning sign in children with Lupus, the fatty tissue increases giving rise to blocked arteries. Earlier research demonstrates that women with Lupus have 50 times greater risk for heart strokes and heart attacks in their pre-menopausal age then with women of the similar age with no disease.

"As treatments for lupus improve and kids live longer, they are more likely to develop significant heart disease," said Laura Schanberg, MD, a professor of pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center who presented the findings at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in Atlanta. "We wanted to find a way to lower their risk."Statins were taken as an option for examination since they proved to be helpful in decreasing the rate of heart disease in many adult people. "We thought every child with lupus should routinely be put on statins," Schanberg said. "This study proves that's not the case.

"The statins had positive effects on CRP and lipid levels, and they appear to be safe and well tolerated," said Schanberg, "But their effect on atherosclerosis was not significant enough to warrant routine use."

The research was to investigate any possible risk by the use of statin. Enlargement of arterial walls of carotid arteries were noticed with the help of Ultrasound techniques. Blood lipid levels, inflammation markers as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), and lupus disease activity trials were studied. "There are rare long-term risks associated with statins that outweigh the risks of using them routinely without proof of clinically significant benefit," Schanberg said.

"We're not saying statins should never be used in kids with lupus," she said. "Rather, we showed that statins should not be routinely prescribed to children with lupus. A lot more information has to go into the decision, and further investigation will help us arrive at a more definitive answer."