In June 2022, the American Lipid Society released "NLA scientific statement on statin intolerance: a new definition and key considerations for ASCVD risk reduction in the statin intolerant patient", which provides the latest definition, modifiable factors, and treatment strategies of statin intolerance. According to the guidelines, for statin intolerance, the statin medication regimen should be adjusted first (reducing the dose, switching to another statin, reducing the frequency of medication), and if the patient is still intolerant, non-statin drugs should be considered to reduce the risk of ASCVD in the patient. The interpretation of this guideline will help clinicians and researchers identify, manage and intervene in the statin intolerance syndrome.
Objective To assess the clinical efficacy of statins for preventing stroke recurrence. Methods We searched The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, CSJD, and CJFD for randomized controlled trials on the use of statin drugs to prevent stroke recurrence (up to May 10, 2008), and manually searched key Chinese magazines in the related fields. Two reviewers extracted data independently using a designed extraction form. The quality of included trials was evaluated according to the Cochrane handbook 4.12. RevMan 5.0 software was used for data analysis. Results Six randomized controlled trials involving 9,675 patients were identified. The results of meta-analysis showed that there was no statistical difference in stroke recurrence rate (RR=0.94, 95%CI 0.84 to 1.04, P=0.21) and fatal stroke occurrence (RR=0.77, 95%CI 0.48 to 1.25, P=0.30) between statins and placebo groups, but a significant difference was found between the two groups in transient ischemic attack occurrence (RR=0.80, 95%CI 0.69 to 0.92, P=0.002). Conclusion Current evidence indicates that statin drugs have no superiority to prevent stroke recurrence and fatal stroke occurrence, but can prevent transient ischemic attack.
Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of lipid-modifying agents for metabolism syndrome.Methods We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMbase, the China Biological Medicine Database, VIP and CMAC to 2007. We also did some handsearching and additional searching. Randomized controlled trials of lipidmodifying therapy for metabolic syndrome were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the eligible studies and evaluated the quality of the included studies. Meta-analyses were performed for the results of homogeneous studies using The Cochrane Collaboration’s RevMan 4.2.9 software. Results A total of 11 studies involving 1 422 patients with metabolic syndrome were included. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in TG between rosuvastatin and atorvastatin. However, rosuvastatin was more effective than atorvastatin on HDL-c improvement. Atorvastatin decreased TG levels greater than simvastatin, but simvastatin was superior to atorvastatin in HDL-c improvement. Two trials comparing fenofibrate with placebo were heterogeneous for some outcomes: one found no significant difference in improvements to HOMA-index, but the other trial indicated that fenofibrate was superior to placebo in improving QUICKI. However, the two trials revealed that fenofibrate favorably affected TG [WMD= – 1.77, 95%CI (– 2.21, – 1.33)] and HDL-c [WMD= 6.62, 95%CI (2.07, 11.17)] compared with placebo. No significant differences among atorvastatin, fenofibrate, alone or in combination, were observed in the proportion of metabolic syndrome reduction [RR=0.99, 95%CI (0.84, 1.16); RR=1.03, 95%CI (0.88, 1.20); RR=1.01, 95%CI (0.87, 1.18)]. Atorvastatin plus fenofibrate was superior to atorvastatin alone in TG and HDL-c improvement. Simvastatin-fenofibrate combination produced greater effectiveness in improving of HDL-c and TG compared with simvastatin alone. The fenofibrateorlistat combination was similar to fenofibrate in reducing metabolic syndrome [RR=1.15, 95%CI (0.68, 1.95)] and TG improvement, but was more effective than fenofibrate in HOMA-index improvement. This review of the clinical trials shows that the majority of lipid-modulating drugs did not have favorable effects on FPG, BP, BMI and WC. Six studies reported side effects, showing that the side effects for lipid-regulating drugs were mild to moderate, and well tolerated.Conclusion Our results suggest that lipid-regulating drugs in general exhibit beneficial effects on TG and HDL-c, but not on blood glucose and central obesity. The therapeutic effects of lipid-regulating drugs on blood pressure and insulin sensitivity are uncertain and have no positive effects on FPG, BMI and WC. There is insufficient evidence in this review to recommend the use of lipid-modifying drugs for metabolic syndrome due to low methodological quality, small ssamplesize and limited number of the trials. More high-quality and large-scale randomized controlled trials are required.
Objective To synthesize the available evidence on the efficacy of using statins in the prevention of recurrent and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods We searched PubMed, EMbase, EMB Reviews-Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 3, 2007), CBMdisc, VIP, and CNKI databases from establishment to 15th Sep. 2007 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) covering the use of statins for the patients with persistent AF after electrical cardioversion, paroxysmal and postoperative AF. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 4.3 software after the strict evaluation of the methodological quality of the included RCTs. Results Five RCTs including 470 patients were included. Significant heterogeneity was found when the data were pooled, so a random effect model was used for metaanalysis. Compared with placebo or no use of statins, the statins decreased risk of AF recurrence and postoperative AF (RR=0.61, 95%CI 0.43 to 0.88, P=0.008). Sensitivity analysis showed that the result was stable. The fail-safe number was 52.91. Conclusion The statins may decrease incidence of AF recurrence and postoperative AF. Because of the low quality and the small number of included studies, larger sample-size, randomized, double-blinded controlled trials are needed.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of statins pretreatment in patients before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods Published literature on relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved via electronic and handsearch in databases CNKI, CBM, MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library from January 1990 to May 2011. The references of these articles were also retrieved. Two reviewers independently identified articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data, assess the quality of the included studies, and then conducted meta-analysis using RevMan 5.0 software. Results A total of 10 trials involving 3 012 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that: during the periprocedural period, the trial group had a lower incidence than the control group (98 of 1 514 cases, incidence 6.5%) in periprocedural myocardial infarction with a significant difference (OR=0.43, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.56, Plt;0.000 01). The composite of death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization in one month, essentially driven by periprocedural myocardial infarction, was reported 6.8% in the trial group and 15.1% in the control group (OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.53, Plt;0.000 01). Conclusion Current evidence supports the effectiveness of statin pretreatment used to reducing the rate of periprocedural myocardial infarction in patients before receiving PCI.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and myocardial protective results of single high-dose Atorvastatin loading before off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). MethodsA total of 140 patients undergoing selective OPCAB in Jiangsu Province Hospital between February 2010 and August 2011 were recruited in this study. All the patients were randomly divided into a control group and an Atorvastatin loading group (single oral atorvastatin 80 mg)with 70 patients in each group. Biomarkers of cardiac injury including Troponin T (TnT), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB)and myoglobin (Mb)were measured on admission, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours after OPCAB. Liver function (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)and total bilirubin (TBIL)), serum lipids (total cholesterol (TC), trigl-yceride (TG)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C))and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)were measured 2 days before OPCAB, 1, 4 and 7 days after OPCAB as well as before discharge. ResultsAll the patients successfully received OPCAB and were discharged. There was no statistical difference in preoperative clinical characteristics or above indexes between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). There was no statistical difference in ALT or AST between the 2 groups. Incidences of ALT (4.29% vs. 5.71%, P=1.000)and AST (4.29% vs. 0%, P=0.245)greater than 3 times above the upper normal limit were not statistically different between the 2 groups. Peak levels of postoperative TnT (0.23±0.27 ng/ml vs. 0.16±0.24 ng/ml, P=0.011), CK-MB (29.57±30.04 U/L vs. 17.73±14.07 U/L, P=0.001)and hsCRP (31.85±22.89 mg/L vs. 20.81±10.96 mg/L, P=0.001)of the control group were significantly higher than those of Atorvastatin loading group. Incidences of TnT greater than the upper normal limit (47.1% vs. 65.7%, P=0.041)and TnT greater than 5 times above the upper normal limit (8.6% vs. 22.9%, P=0.037)of Atorvastatin loading group were significantly lower than those of the control group. Incidence of CK-MB greater than the upper normal limit of Atorvastatin loading group was significantly lower than that of the control group (20.0% vs. 54.3%, P=0.000). ConclusionSingle high-dose Atorvastatin loading before OPCAB is safe and can alleviate postoperative myocardial injury.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of statins on amino-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), grade of New York Heart Association (NYHA), and ejection fraction (EF) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) using marginal structural model. MethodsA total of 297 patients with CHF from two medical centers in Shanxi province were sequentially enrolled from January 2018 to December 2020. The medical records were collected. Confounding factors were analyzed by t-test, Chi-square test and logistic regression. The random forest algorithm was used to estimate the weight of inverse probability. The marginal structural model was applied to evaluate the effects of statins. ResultsUsing logistic regression to exclude the influence of baseline confounders, the results showed that statins had no significant effect on the level of NT-proBNP in patients with CHF. The marginal structural model which excluded the influence of baseline confounders, time-dependent confounders and treatment conversion factors showed that statins significantly reduced NT-proBNP (OR=0.699, 95%CI 0.528 to 0.926, P=0.012). Statins had no significant effects on NYHA and EF. ConclusionStatins can effectively reduce the level of NT-proBNP in patients with CHF.
Objective To determine the effectiveness of statins in reducing C-reactive protein in patients with cerebral infarction and the potency of C-reactive protein as an indicator for preventing cerebrovascular events. Methods We searched PubMed, EMbase, Central Register of Controlled Trials, CBMdisc and CNKI from the date of establishment through August 2008. Bibliographies of the retrieved articles were also checked. Data was extracted and evaluated by two reviewers independently with a designed extraction form. The RevMan 5.0 software was used to carry out meta-analysis. Results Twenty-three randomized trials involving 1946 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed the following: statins reduced C-reactive protein compared to the control group (WMD= –5.79, 95%CI –7.32 to –4.26); statins were associated with a reduction of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) (WMD= –0.21, 95%CI –0.25 to –0.17); atorvastatin greatly reduced C-reactive protein than the simvastatin control group (WMD= –1.78, 95%CI –3.92 to 0.36); statins were associated with a slight improvement in neurological deficit (OR= 2.22, 95%CI 0.94 to 5.21). Conclusion The evidence currently available shows that statins can reduce C-reactive protein and carotid IMT in the patients with cerebral infarction compared to the control group. However, it is not clear whether statins reducing C-reactive protein is correlated to the improvement of neurological deficit and prognosis. Similar trials in future should focus on the relationship between the change of C-reactive protein and clinical outcomes.
Objective To assess the effectiveness of statins in treating early diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 2, 2009), MEDLINE (1991 to August 2009), EMbase (1991 to August 2009), CBMdisc (1991 to August 2009) and CNKI (1994 to August 2009). We also handsearched relevant journals and conference proceedings. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which statins were used to treat patients with early DKD were collected. Then we screened the retrieved studies according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated the quality of the included studies, and performed meta-analyses by RevMan 4.2 software. Results A total of 281 articles were found and 22 articles inolving 1838 patients were finally included. All these articles were regarded as low quality. We chose the random-effect model to conduct meta-analysis because significant heterogeneities were found among these articles. The results of meta-analysis showed that after treatment with statins, there were significant reductions in urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) (WMD= –55.77, 95%CI –74.20 to –37.34, Plt;0.000 01), serum creatinine (Scr) (WMD= –4.34, 95%CI –6.74 to –1.94, P=0.000 4), C reactive protein (CRP) (WMD= –1.48, 95%CI – 2.32 to – 0.63, P=0.006), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD= –1.33, 95%CI –1.75 to –0.91, Plt;0.000 01), and triglyceride (TG) (WMD= –0.72, 95%CI-1.17 to -0.27, P=0.002) in group treatment compared with group control. Funnel-plot displayed a symmetrical figure, indicating there was no publication bias. No severe adverse effects were found in these articles except 12 patients with high level of transaminase which were cured after using hepatic protect therapy. Conclusion Currently available evidence shows that with the reduction of TC and TG, statins may decrease UAER and Scr in patients with early DKD and the reduction of CRP may be involved in the mechanism. Statins provide effective renal protection and no severe adverse effects in treating early DKD. However, due to lack of quality in the included studies, more studies of better quality should be conducted
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects and safety of statins in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). MethodsLiteratures in English and Chinese concerning randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on statins in ARDS patients were retrieved by electronic and manual search. All related data were extracted. Meta-analysis was conducted using the statistical software RevMan 5.3 on the basis of strict quality evaluation. ResultsFive RCTs involving 1489 ARDS patients were included, with 709 patients in the statins group and 780 patients in the placebo control group. Compared with the control group, statins did not improve the survival of ARDS patients[risk ratio (RR) 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86 to 1.18, P=0.91), while the improvement of oxygenation[mean difference (MD) 3.92, 95%CI-14.10 to 21.94, P=0.67], ventilator-free days (MD 0.65, 95%CI-0.20 to 1.50, P=0.13) and non-pulmonary organ failure-free days (MD 1.20, 95%CI-1.46 to 3.87, P=0.38) exhibited no differences between the statins group and the control group. However statins were associated with significant elevation of creatine kinase (MD 6.92, 95%CI 5.77 to 8.07, P < 0.000 01). ConclusionThis study demonstrates that statins can not improve outcomes of ARDS patients, and the safety of statins still needs further evaluation.