[Statins--attaining goal values--with reference to recent studies].

Abstract

Recent lipid intervention studies led to the implementation of lipid lowering therapy in the cardiovascular risk management. These secondary as well as primary prevention studies share the effect of HMG-CoA-reductase inhibition. Despite varying product properties there seem to be no major differences in risk reduction between the drugs. One could argue the main action of the statins, lipid lowering, is the most prominent mode of action. A new study (AirForce/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study) extended that to patients with relatively low total cholesterol levels (mean 221 mg/dl with a slightly lowered LDL-C of 37 mg/dl, LDL-C of 150 mg/dl) successfully treated with lovastatin in primary prevention. That supports the concept to reach lipid levels as low as possible in the longer term, even if the absolute clinical event reduction in primary prevention is not so impressive. On the contrary, in secondary prevention: in the AVERT-study in patients with a 82% mean stenosis in one vessel PTCA-treated patients with conventional drug therapy were compared to such without PTCA and aggressive lipid lowering therapy (resulting LDL-C 77 mg/dl). One could be surprised that the "intervention group" was not better, though representing the usual clinical procedere. Interestingly, borderline significant (p < 0.046 at a level of significance of p < 0.045), results were in favor for the drug treated group. Such data could, if confirmed in further investigations, change cardiovascular disease management to aggressive lipid lowering prior to or instead invasive management, especially in initial therapy of CVD and diabetes mellitus type II.