Role of statins in the management of dyslipidemia after cardiac transplant: randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy and the safety of atorvastatin with pravastatin.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac transplant patients are at increased risk of dyslipidemia, a known pathogenetic factor in chronic rejection. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and the safety of treatment with atorvastatin (AT) and treatment with pravastatin (PV) in a population of dyslipidemic transplant patients. METHODS: Thirty-nine transplant patients were randomized to receive a 4-month cycle of therapy with AT or PV, in a cross-over sequence. We analyzed the effects on their lipid profiles using Student t-test for paired data. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Atorvastatin was significantly more effective than PV in reducing total cholesterol (33% vs 21%, p < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (45% vs 30%, p = 0.001), and triglycerides (24% vs 7.7%, p < 0.001), at lower doses and with comparable tolerability and safety.