RESEARCH - Statins appear to have no major effect on coronary calcification

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Statins appear to have no major effect on coronary calcification

8/29/2006

By: Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Aug 29 - Despite reducing systemic inflammation

and serum LDL cholesterol levels, statin treatment does not seen to have a

significant impact on the rate of coronary artery calcification progression,

ish researchers report in the September issue of Heart.

Senior investigator Dr. E. Newby told Reuters Health that the finding

" questions the increasing practice of repeated measurements of calcium score

to assess response to statin therapy. It cannot be currently advocated. "

These findings do not support previous studies that found statin therapy can

prevent or slow the progression of coronary calcification.

Dr. Newby of the University of Edinburgh and members of the ish Aortic

Stenosis Lipid lowering Therapy, Impact on Regression (SALTIRE) trial

studied 102 patients with calcific aortic stenosis and coronary artery

calcification. They were randomly assigned to atorvastatin 80 mg per day or

to placebo. Coronary artery calcification was assessed annually by helical

CT.

At a median of two years' follow-up, there was a significant (53%) reduction

in LDL cholesterol and in C reactive protein (49%) (p < 0.001 for both).

There were no significant changes in the placebo group.

However, the researchers also found no significant difference between the

groups in the rate of progression on the coronary artery calcium score --

there was a 26% annual increase in the atorvastatin group compared with an

18% increase in the placebo.

Thus, the team concludes the findings confirm that progression of coronary

artery calcification is not a useful means of assessing patients' response

to lipid-lowering treatment.

Dr. Filippo Cademartiri, author of an accompanying editorial, agrees. In

fact, he told Reuters Health that " in some regions of the world patients are

subjected to repeated CT scanning to determine if their calcification score

is increasing. "

" Given the controversial evidence, " concluded Dr. Cademartiri of Erasmus

Medical Center, Rotterdam, " this may be a questionable medical practice,

exposing patients -- actually asymptomatic individuals -- to unnecessary

radiation. "

Last Updated: 2006-08-28 13:58:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)

Heart 2006;92:1187-1188,1207-1212.

http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup & Sub=car & Pag=dis & ItemId=72207 & wf=1183

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