Statin meta-analysis
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Statin therapy "can reduce the five-year incidence of major coronary events and stroke by about one fifth per mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol," according to a prospective meta-analysis published online by The Lancet Sept. 27. The study analyzed the results of 14 randomized trials such as AFCAPS, ALERT and ASCOT, and involved a total of more than 90,000 patients. Among the deaths caused by coronary heart disease, 1,548 were in the statin treatment group while 1,960 were in the control group. The results "are consistent with there being an approximately linear relationship between the absolute reductions in LDL cholesterol achieved in these trials and the proportional reductions in the incidence of coronary and other major vascular events," the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration concludes. "Statin therapy produced a clear reduction in all-cause mortality," they add...