Effectiveness of Lipid-Lowering Statin Therapy in Patients With and Without Psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is associated with dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome, and has been linked to an increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to compare baseline characteristics and effects of statin therapy on lipid levels and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with and without psoriasis. METHODS: This post-hoc analysis assessed patients from one primary cardiovascular prevention statin trial (Collaborative AtoRvastatin Diabetes Study [CARDS]) and two secondary cardiovascular prevention statin trials (Treating to New Targets [TNT] and Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering [IDEAL]). Baseline characteristics, lipid changes from baseline, and cardiovascular event rates were analyzed. TNT and IDEAL data were pooled. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics and lipid profiles differed minimally in patients with and without psoriasis. In CARDS and TNT/IDEAL, similar apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reductions occurred with statin therapy in patients with or without psoriasis. High-dose atorvastatin significantly reduced cardiovascular events vs. standard/low-dose statins in patients without psoriasis in TNT/IDEAL; similar numeric differences in event rates were observed in patients with psoriasis. CONCLUSIONS: In this post-hoc analysis, statins improved lipid levels and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with and without psoriasis, supporting statin use in patients with psoriasis. Trial registration (ClinicalTrials.gov) NCT00327418, registered 16 May, 2006; NCT00327691, registered 16 May, 2006; NCT00159835, registered 8 September, 2005.

Oxidized Phospholipids on Apolipoprotein B-100 and Recurrent Ischemic Events Following Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack.

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers to predict recurrent stroke and targets of therapy to prevent stroke are lacking. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated whether patients with prior cerebrovascular events and elevated levels of oxidized phospholipids on apolipoprotein B-100 (OxPL-apoB), but without prior coronary artery disease (CAD), are at risk for recurrent stroke and CAD events following high-dose statin therapy. METHODS: In the SPARCL (Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels) trial, OxPL-apoB levels were measured in 4,385 patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack at baseline and in 3,106 patients at 5 years following randomization to placebo or 80 mg atorvastatin. The primary endpoint was the time from randomization to a second nonfatal or fatal stroke. Secondary endpoints included first major coronary events and any cardiovascular event. RESULTS: Patients with recurrent stroke had higher baseline median OxPL-apoB levels than patients without (15.5 nmol/l vs. 11.6 nmol/l; p < 0.0001). After multivariable adjustment, elevated baseline OxPL-apoB predicted recurrent stroke (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.3; p < 0.0001), first major coronary events (HR: 4.0; p < 0.0001), and any cardiovascular event (HR: 4.4; p < 0.0001). These comparisons for any endpoint did not differ by treatment, shown as a nonsignificant interaction test. The net reclassification improvement, integrated discrimination improvement, and area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) were all significantly improved by adding OxPL-apoB to the models, with ΔAUC +0.0505 (p < 0.0001) for recurrent stroke, ΔAUC +0.0409 (p < 0.0001) for first major coronary event, and ΔAUC +0.0791 (p < 0.0001) for any cardiovascular event. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated OxPL-apoB levels predicted recurrent stroke and first major coronary events in patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack. The lack of statin-OxPL-apoB treatment interaction suggested that OxPLs might be statin-independent therapeutic targets to reduce risk of cardiovascular events. (Lipitor in the Prevention of Stroke, for Patients Who Have Had a Previous Stroke [SPARCL]; NCT00147602).

Improvement in Renal Function and Reduction in Serum Uric Acid with Intensive Statin Therapy in Older Patients: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SAGE Trial.

BACKGROUND: Improvement in renal function and decreases in serum uric acid (SUA) have been reported following prolonged high-intensity statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) therapy. This post hoc analysis of the SAGE trial examined the effect of intensive versus less intensive statin therapy on renal function, safety, and laboratory parameters, including SUA, in elderly coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (65-85 years) with or without chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Patients were randomized to atorvastatin 80 mg/day or pravastatin 40 mg/day and treated for 12 months. Patients were stratified using Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) in CKD (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) and non-CKD populations. RESULTS: Of the 893 patients randomized, 858 had complete renal data and 418 of 858 (49%) had CKD (99% Stage 3). Over 12 months, eGFR increased with atorvastatin and remained stable with pravastatin (+2.38 vs. +0.18 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively; p < 0.0001). MDRD eGFR improved significantly in both CKD treatment arms; however, the increased eGFR in patients without CKD was significantly greater with atorvastatin (+2.08 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) than with pravastatin (-1.04 mL/min/1.73 m(2)). Modest reductions in SUA were observed in both treatment arms, but a greater fall occurred with atorvastatin than with pravastatin (-0.52 vs. -0.09 mg/dL, p < 0.0001). Change in SUA correlated negatively with changes in eGFR and positively with changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Reports of myalgia were rare (3.6% CKD; 5.7% non-CKD), and there were no episodes of rhabdomyolysis. Elevated serum alanine and aspartate transaminase to >3 times the upper limit of normal occurred in 4.4% of atorvastatin- and 0.2% of pravastatin-treated patients. CONCLUSION: Intensive management of dyslipidemia in older patients with stable coronary heart disease may have beneficial effects on renal function and SUA.

High-dose atorvastatin is superior to moderate-dose simvastatin in preventing peripheral arterial disease.

OBJECTIVES: To study whether high-dose versus usual-dose statin treatment reduces the incidence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and what is the effect of high-dose statin treatment on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcome in patients with PAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering trial, 8888 post-myocardial infarction patients were randomised to high-dose or usual-dose statin therapy (atorvastatin 80 mg/day vs simvastatin 20-40 mg/day). We investigated the effect of high-dose versus usual-dose statins on the pre-specified outcome PAD incidence, and additionally performed a posthoc analysis of the efficacy of high-dose statins in reducing CVD risk among patients with PAD. During a median follow-up of 4.8 years, 94 patients (2.2%) receiving atorvastatin and 135 patients (3.2%) receiving simvastatin developed PAD (HR=0.70, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.91; p=0.007). The risk of major coronary events was almost twofold higher in patients with PAD at baseline, but was no longer significant after adjusting for the adverse cardiovascular risk profile. In PAD patients, major coronary events occurred in fewer patients in the atorvastatin group (14.4%) than in the simvastatin group (20.1%), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. (HR=0.68, 95% CI 0.41 to 1.11; p=0.13). Atorvastatin treatment significantly reduced overall cardiovascular (p=0.046) and coronary events (p=0.004), and coronary revascularisation (p=0.007) in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose statin therapy with atorvastatin significantly reduced the incidence of PAD compared with usual-dose statin therapy with simvastatin. Patients with a history of PAD at baseline were at higher risk of future coronary events and this risk was reduced by high-dose atorvastatin treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00159835 (URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00159835).

Statin and the risk of renal-related serious adverse events: Analysis from the IDEAL, TNT, CARDS, ASPEN, SPARCL, and other placebo-controlled trials.

A recent study has shown an association between high-potency statins and risk of acute kidney injury. However, these data are from observational studies, and it is not clear if similar signal is seen from randomized controlled trials. We evaluated the risk of renal-associated serious adverse events (SAEs) using statins versus placebo trials and the high-dose versus low-dose statin trials that were available to us. The outcome of interest was renal-related SAEs. The incidence of adverse events relating to kidney injury was determined through review of the adverse event database. The following outcomes were evaluated: (1) renal-related SAEs within 120 days of randomization (primary outcome), (2) renal-related SAEs after 120 days of randomization (secondary), and (3) drug discontinuation due to renal-related SAEs (secondary). There was no difference in the incidence of renal-related SAEs at 120 days (0.04% vs 0.10%, p = 0.162) between atorvastatin and placebo in the 24 placebo-controlled trials (10,345 patients on atorvastatin (10 to 80 mg/day) versus 8,945 patients on placebo) or in the high-dose versus low-dose statin trials including the Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering (IDEAL) study (0.05% vs 0.02%, p = 0.625) or the Treating to New Targets (TNT) trial (0.0% vs 0.04%, p = 0.500) trial. Results were similar for renal-related SAEs after 120 days (placebo controlled trials [0.38% vs 0.36%, p = 0.905], IDEAL trial [0.56% vs 0.65%, p = 0.683], or the TNT trial [0.76% vs 1.04%, p = 0.168]) and for drug withdrawal due to renal-related SAE (placebo controlled trials [0.05% vs 0.04%, p = 1.00], IDEAL trial [0.02% vs 0.0%, p = 0.499], or the TNT trial [0.08% vs 0.12%, p = 0.754]). In conclusion, the results from clinical trials with data from 149,882 patient-years of follow-up fail to show any increase in renal-related SAEs with statins compared with controls.

Atorvastatin does not induce glomerular or tubular dysfunction even at high doses.

The current analyses evaluated the effect of atorvastatin on biomarkers of renal function. Serum creatinine level and markers of tubular and glomerular function, including cystatin C, urine N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, urine and serum beta2-microglobulin, and urine albumin, were assessed in osteopenic postmenopausal women with mild dyslipidemia who received atorvastatin 20 mg, atorvastatin 80 mg, or placebo for 1 year. During the study, changes in serum creatinine levels were the same in all 3 treatment groups. Cystatin C levels remained unchanged in all groups at all time points. For the additional markers of renal function, median values at baseline and weeks 26 and 52 in both of the atorvastatin and the placebo groups were similar. Neither moderate- nor high-dose atorvastatin treatment for 1 year altered markers of glomerular and renal tubular function compared with placebo. These data indicate that in this patient population, atorvastatin, even at a high dose, does not interfere with renal tubular reabsorption of protein, induce renal tubular dysfunction, or alter glomerular filtration rate in humans.