Open AccessEffects of Statins on Endothelial Function in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
Author(s) -
Simova Iana I.,
Denchev Stefan V.,
Dimitrov Simeon I.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.20316
Subject(s) - medicine , brachial artery , cardiology , coronary artery disease , endothelial dysfunction , statin , artery , endothelium , stenosis , blood pressure
Background Flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery is a method capable of detecting endothelium dysfunction. Statins are generally consent drugs for reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and are shown to improve the systemic endothelial function. Hypothesis The aim of our study was to assess the endothelial function using FMD of the brachial artery in patients with different degrees of coronary artery stenosis with respect to their treatment with statins. Methods We evaluated the FMD of 221 patients with coronary arteriography performed, of whom 99 (44.8%) were receiving statins and 122 (55.2%) were not receiving statins. Results We did not find a statistically significant difference in the FMD values between the patients with and without a statin treatment: 5.57 ± 5.68 and 4.69 ± 4.48, respectively, P = .581. In the subgroup of patients without angiographically visible coronary artery stenoses or with stenoses <20% (86 patients), patients undergoing statin treatment had a significantly better endothelial function compared to patients without such a treatment: FMD 9.24 ± 6.87 and 6.50 ± 4.51, respectively, P = .047. Conclusions FMD could not distinguish between the patients who were treated with statin and those not treated with statins with the same demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics. The only exception was in the group of patients with a minor coronary disease. Statin treatment had a more pronounced effect in the earlier stages of coronary atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.