Effect of intensive lipid-lowering treatment compared to moderate lipid-lowering treatment with rosuvastatin on endothelial function in high risk patients
International Journal of Cardiology, 07/13/2012
Clinical Article
Egede R et al. – In the present study treatment of statin–naive STEMI patients with high–dose rosuvastatin for 12months resulted in a significant increase in endothelium–dependent FMD of the brachial artery whereas no significant change was seen in the low–dose rosuvastatin group.
Methods- 87 Statin–naive patients with ST–segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were randomized to 5mg or 40mg rosuvastatin.
- The FMD was assessed at baseline, 6months and after 12months of follow–up by use of B–mode ultrasound of the brachial artery.
- Baseline low–density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level was reduced by 31.8% in the low–dose group (from 3.1±0.7mmol/l to 2.0±0.4mmol/l, p<0.001) vs. 49.0% in the high–dose group (from 3.1±1.0mmol/l to 1.6±0.7mmol/l, p<0.001) (between groups p=0.001).
- Treatment with low–dose rosuvastatin did not change the endothelium–dependent FMD (–1.4±8.2%, p=0.32) whereas the endothelium–dependent FMD increased significantly in the high–dose group (3.7±11.0%, p=0.045) (between group p=0.029).
- No significant changes in endothelium–independent FMD were seen.
