Effects of Atorvastatin on Serum High-Sensitive C-Reactive Protein and Total Cholesterol Levels in Asian Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

ABSTRACT

Elevated serum levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and total cholesterol (TC) correlate with atherosclerotic vascular disease and increased frequency of vascular events. In this study, we investigated the effect of atorvastatin treatment on serum hs-CRP and TC levels, and the recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients. Furthermore, a meta-analysis was performed to confirm the findings in this study. A total of 105 patients with AF were recruited to this study, including 55 patients with AF who were treated with amiodarone and atorvastatin (the treatment group) and 50 patients with AF who were treated with only amiodarone (the control group). Patients were treated for 12 months and followed up regularly for 1 year. Serum hs-CRP and TC levels in patients before and after treatment were recorded, and AF recurrence rate at 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment was obtained. Statistical analyses were performed with R 3.1.0 software and STATA 12.0 software. For patients in both treatment and control groups, serum hs-CRP and TC levels were high before the treatments began (both P < 0.05). However, after 12 months of treatment, serum hs-CRP and TC levels in the treatment group was dramatically reduced compared with the control group (hs-CRP 3.63 ± 2.14 mg/L vs. 2.75 ± 1.89 mg/L, t = 2.24, P = 0.027; TC 4.66 ± 1.13 mmol/L vs. 4.20 ± 1.06 mmol/L, t = 2.15, P = 0.034). After 12 months of treatment, the AF recurrence rate in the treatment group was significantly lower than the control group (16.4% vs. 34.0%; χ = 4.37; P = 0.037). In addition, 13 studies were selected for meta-analysis. Pooled results of the meta-analysis showed that serum hs-CRP and TC levels decreased significantly in the treatment group compared with the case group [hs-CRP SMD = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62-1.29, and P < 0.001; TC SMD = 1.39, 95% CI = 0.65-2.13, and P < 0.001]. Our study presents compelling evidence that atorvastatin is highly effective in reducing serum hs-CRP and TC levels and lowering the recurrence rate of AF.