Articles: anticholesteremic-agents-therapeutic-use.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Intensive lipid lowering with simvastatin and ezetimibe in aortic stenosis.
Hyperlipidemia has been suggested as a risk factor for stenosis of the aortic valve, but lipid-lowering studies have had conflicting results. ⋯ Simvastatin and ezetimibe did not reduce the composite outcome of combined aortic-valve events and ischemic events in patients with aortic stenosis. Such therapy reduced the incidence of ischemic cardiovascular events but not events related to aortic-valve stenosis. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00092677.)
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The cardiovascular (CV) benefits of lipid-lowering therapy in older adults with hypercholesterolemia and underlying risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) have been well documented. Significant reductions in the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary death have been demonstrated with statin therapy, benefits that are of particular relevance in patients with diabetes. Managed care interventions with prescribers have increased the use of selected drugs such as statins. ⋯ A statin initiation intervention aimed at prescribers for MA-PD and PDP members with diabetes or CAD who qualified for MTMP services was successful in increasing statin use among this group of members at high risk for CV events.
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Atorvastatin has previously been shown to reduce the endogenous angiogenic response to chronic ischemia in a porcine model. One possible mechanism for this effect is reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide, a key mediator of angiogenesis, secondary to increased oxygen free radicals. We sought to determine if atorvastatin modulates oxidative stress in myocardial tissue. ⋯ Treatment with atorvastatin was associated with increased levels of myocardial tissue protein and lipid oxidative stress biomarkers and a reduced functional endogenous angiogenic response, but improved coronary microvascular reactivity. Increased oxidative stress in tissues may play a role in the reduced angiogenic response seen with atorvastatin treatment in other studies.