Lipid-lowering therapy and outcomes in heart failure

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Published on: November 10, 2017

Joel G Ray1, Colleen M Norris, Jacob A Udell

  • 1Department of Medicine, Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. rayj@smh.toronto.on.ca

Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
|May 15, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Lipid-lowering therapy, including statins, was associated with improved survival in heart failure patients. This suggests benefits even without coronary artery disease, though more research is needed for isolated heart failure cases.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Lipid-lowering therapy, primarily statins, is known to reduce cardiovascular mortality.
  • Efficacy of lipid-lowering therapy in heart failure patients, especially those without coronary artery stenosis, remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between lipid-lowering therapy and survival in patients with heart failure, with or without coronary artery stenosis.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study analyzed a clinical database of 6060 heart failure patients undergoing coronary angiography over 8 years.
  • Lipid-lowering agent use was recorded, and survival was followed for a median of 4.7 years.

Main Results:

  • 7.1 deaths per 100 person-years occurred in lipid-lowering therapy users versus 7.8 in non-users.
  • Lipid-lowering therapy use was associated with a reduced risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio 0.87; 95% CI 0.77-0.97).

Conclusions:

  • Lipid-lowering therapy is linked to decreased mortality in heart failure patients.
  • Current evidence supports statin use in heart failure with coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, or diabetes.
  • Further research is required for statin recommendations in isolated heart failure.

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