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Long-term hemostatic effects of cholesterol-lowering therapy with atorvastatin

A Trifiletti1, A Lasco, R Scamardi

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. Aldo.Trifiletti@unime.it

Pathophysiology of Haemostasis and Thrombosis
|November 19, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Atorvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, significantly reduced hemostatic abnormalities like increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2) in hypercholesterolemic patients. This suggests atorvastatin offers additional cardiovascular benefits beyond lipid reduction.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Pharmacology
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Hypercholesterolemia is associated with significant hemostatic abnormalities.
  • These abnormalities may contribute to increased thrombotic risk in patients with high cholesterol.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effects of atorvastatin on hemostatic parameters in hypercholesterolemic patients.
  • To determine if atorvastatin can mitigate pro-thrombotic changes linked to high cholesterol.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 32 hypercholesterolemic patients and 25 controls.
  • Measurement of plasma levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator, PAI-1, D-dimer, F1 + 2, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and fibrinogen.
  • Patients received atorvastatin 20 mg/day for 12 months, with evaluations at baseline, 6, and 12 months.

Main Results:

  • Atorvastatin significantly reduced total cholesterol levels in all patients.
  • Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2) levels, elevated at baseline, were significantly decreased after 6 months of treatment.
  • These reductions in PAI-1 and F1 + 2 were sustained at the 12-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

  • Atorvastatin therapy effectively lowers total cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic individuals.
  • Atorvastatin treatment significantly improves key hemostatic parameters, reducing thrombotic risk.
  • The findings indicate that atorvastatin offers additional cardiovascular benefits by ameliorating hemostatic dysfunction in hypercholesterolemia.

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