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Effects of statins on endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease

Iana I Simova1, Stefan V Denchev, Simeon I Dimitrov

  • 1Clinic of Cardiology, University Hospital Alexandrovska, Sofia, Bulgaria. ianahr@yahoo.com

Clinical Cardiology
|April 9, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Statins did not significantly improve endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease overall. However, statin treatment showed improved flow-mediated dilatation in patients with minor coronary artery stenosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery assesses endothelial dysfunction.
  • Statins are crucial for reducing cardiovascular events and improving endothelial function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate endothelial function using brachial artery FMD in patients with varying degrees of coronary artery stenosis.
  • To compare FMD in patients on statin therapy versus those not receiving statins.

Main Methods:

  • 221 patients undergoing coronary arteriography were assessed for FMD.
  • 99 patients (44.8%) were on statin treatment, while 122 (55.2%) were not.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant difference in FMD was observed between the overall statin and non-statin groups (P = .581).
  • In patients with minimal or no coronary stenosis (<20%), statin users showed significantly better FMD (9.24 ± 6.87) compared to non-users (6.50 ± 4.51, P = .047).

Conclusions:

  • Overall FMD did not differentiate between statin and non-statin groups with similar characteristics.
  • Statin treatment demonstrated a more significant benefit on endothelial function in the early stages of coronary atherosclerosis.
Abstract

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