ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets and atorvastatin in reducing blood lipid levels. METHODS: Patients with hyperlipidaemia admitted to the cardiac centre between January 2019 and December 2020 were included in the study. A total of 1063 patients with hyperlipidaemia took either Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets (n = 372) or atorvastatin (n = 691) and met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Clinical data, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were retrospectively evaluated after propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. The adverse events were also recorded during the therapy process. RESULTS: Following PSM analysis, both groups were well matched across all parameters. Compared with the baseline, Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets had greater effects on TC, TG and LDL-C, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the results showed that Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets are similar to atorvastatin in reducing TC and LDL-C, and all p-values were > 0.05. However, the decrease of TG was greater in the Shanhuang Jiangzhi group (p < 0.001). Clinical adverse reactions of Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets are rare and have no statistical significance compared with atorvastatin (p = 0.682). CONCLUSIONS: Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets have a higher hypotriglyceridaemic performance than atorvastatin and an equivalent ability to lower TC and LDL-C. In addition, Shanhuang Jiangzhi tablets are a low-risk option for lowering blood lipids.