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. 2000;1(3):161-165.
doi: 10.1186/cvm-1-3-161.

Are statins anti-inflammatory?

Gavin J Blake  1 , Paul M Ridker
Affiliations

Are statins anti-inflammatory?

Gavin J Blake et al. Curr Control Trials Cardiovasc Med. 2000.

Abstract

Large scale clinical trials demonstrate significant reductions in cardiovascular event rates with statin therapy. The observed benefit of statin therapy, however, may be larger in these trials than that expected on the basis of lipid lowering alone. Emerging evidence from both clinical trials and basic science studies suggest that statins have anti-inflammatory properties, which may additionally lead to clinical efficacy. Measurement of markers of inflammation such as high sensitivity C-reactive protein in addition to lipid parameters may help identify those patients who will benefit most from statin therapy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relative risks of recurrent coronary events among postmyocardial infarction patients according to the presence or absence of ongoing inflammation and according to placebo or pravastatin therapy. (Adapted from Ridker et al [48].)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Median (solid lines) and mean (dotted lines) levels of hs-CRP at baseline and at 5 years among participants in the CARE trial, according to placebo or pravastatin assignment. (Adapted from Ridker et al [49]).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative risk of first cardiovascular events in apparently healthy men and women according to baseline levels of the total cholesterol:high density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC:HDLC) ratio and by baseline level of hs-CRP. (Adapted from Ridker et al [11,52].)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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