Pleiotropic effects of statins on cardiovascular events in the Japanese Coronary Artery Disease study

Int J Cardiol. 2008 Sep 26;129(2):294-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2007.06.054. Epub 2007 Jul 25.

Abstract

We analyzed 6317 patients with a baseline LDL-cholesterol level of 70 to 130 mg/dL among 13,812 patients of the Japanese Coronary Artery Disease (JCAD) study. We divided the patients into 2 groups according to statin treatment and its lipophilicity. We compared the incidence of all-cause events between 2000 statin-treated patients and 4317 patients without statins during a median follow-up period of 1092 days (range 0 to 1676 days). After propensity score matching (n=1641, for each group), Kaplan-Meier analysis showed 25% reduction in the incidence of all-cause events with statin treatment (p=0.0016). The incidence of all-cause events was also compared between 1139 patients with hydrophilic statin and 861 patients with lipophilic statin. After propensity score matching (n=778, for each group), Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference in the incidence of all-cause events with respect to lipophilicity. Subgroup analysis of the JCAD study suggested a lipid-independent beneficial treatment effect of statins on all-cause events, and these favorable effects were comparable between the hydrophilic and lipophilic statins.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Letter
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Cholesterol, LDL / drug effects*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / blood*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / epidemiology*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / metabolism
  • Coronary Artery Disease / prevention & control
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Incidence
  • Japan / epidemiology
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Anticholesteremic Agents
  • Cholesterol, LDL
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors