Background: It was a meta-analysis on the efficacy of statins in the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Methods: The PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Sciences, and other Chinese and English databases were used to retrieve literature on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of statins in the treatment of atherosclerosis, published from January 2000 to January 2021. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention 5.0.2 was used to conduct bias risk assessment, and Review Manager 5.3 software (RevMan) was used for meta-analysis.
Results: A total of 12 articles with 1,180 participants were included in the meta-analysis. In the observation group, the plaque area [mean difference (MD) =-1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.03 to -0.38; Z =2.87; P=0.004], total cholesterol (TC) level (MD =-0.72; 95% CI: -1.01 to -0.43; Z =4.83; P<0.00001), triglyceride (TG) level (MD =-0.43; 95% CI: -0.76 to -0.09; Z =2.51; P=0.01), and the low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) level (MD =-0.79; 95% CI: -1.41 to -0.18; Z =2.54; P=0.01) were lower, while the clinical effective rate (MD =3.64; 95% CI: 1.39 to 9.53; Z =2.64; P=0.008) was higher, and the difference was notable. No notable difference was noted in intra-media thickness (IMT) (MD =-0.41; 95% CI: -0.88 to -0.06; Z =1.7; P=0.09), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level (MD =-1.61; 95% CI: -3.59 to 0.37; Z =1.7; P=0.09), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) level (MD =0.14; 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.30; Z =2.54; P=0.09) between the 2 groups.
Discussion: The use of statins in the treatment of atherosclerosis can reduce the levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C, mitigate clinical symptoms, and reduce blood lipids with good efficacy.
Keywords: Statins; atherosclerosis; blood lipids; meta-analysis.