FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- In addition to being beneficial for secondary prevention, statin treatment for acute coronary syndromes leads to fewer major cardiovascular events and fewer rehospitalizations, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference, held from April 29 to May 1 in Washington, D.C.

Petr Ostadal, Ph.D., from Na Homolce Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, and colleagues randomly assigned 156 patients with acute coronary syndromes to 80 milligrams fluvastatin or placebo daily for 30 days, followed by encouragement to continue statin treatment.

The researchers found that although both groups had similar levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, fluvastatin was associated with a significantly lower rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (death, myocardial infarction, recurrent symptomatic ischemia, urgent revascularization, and stroke) in the first year (12.8 versus 26.9 percent; odds ratio, 0.40). The reduction was largely due to a reduction in recurrent symptomatic ischemia (7.7 versus 20.5 percent; odds ratio, 0.32). The fluvastatin group also had fewer rehospitalizations (17.9 versus 43.6 percent; odds ratio, 0.28).

"Despite the low number of participants, our study suggests that statin therapy may have a beneficial effect not only in secondary prevention but also directly in the therapy of acute coronary syndromes, when started in unstable patients as early as at hospital admission," Ostadal and colleagues conclude.

The trial was supported by the Czech Ministry of Health and Novartis Czech Republic.

More Information