“While the claim is that cholesterol-lowering drugs inhibit the formation of plaque that occludes the four coronary arteries that supply the heart with oxygenated blood, inexplicably, doctors still aren’t sure whether to use a statin drug to treat angina chest pain, which is caused by a narrowed plaque-laden coronary artery. Estimates are that 6,500,000 people in the United States suffer from angina, believed to be caused by narrowing of arteries supplying the heart. But researchers at The Ludwik Rydygier Medical University in Poland think otherwise. In their landmark paper published in 2004, these researchers note that patients suffering from angina from coronary artery disease often have coincident symptoms of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (heartburn), which also causes angina-like chest pain. It is estimated that 60-85% of coronary artery disease patients may have coexisting heartburn.” (10/12/06)